Chipmunk in the mud

Beautiful little chipmunk pattern in what must have been very squishy mud.  Fronts to the right



Fronts at bottom

 Gorgeous day on the powerline.  A rare find of a trail of chipmunk tracks. Their narrow trail width is only 2 1/4", even in this wet substrate.  4 toes in front, 5 on the rears. 

As a bonus, many of the spring flowers are out; goat's-rue, mountain laurel, (a pink variety), berries ripening on the huckleberry.  Young redtails, looking huge as eagles, whining from the towers, waiting to be fed.  Turkeys and flickers gorging on ants in the sandy road.  A glossy black racer, tasting the air as I passed.  Towhees sneaking around in the scrubby bear oak.


Racemed Milkwort  polygala polygama

Opossum Tracks

 

Opossum tracks don't get much better than this.  Especially the left rear.  Possum patterns are one of those where when I see a total mess, I start looking for possum characteristics. Speaking of which, "possums" live in Australia, and "opossums" live in the western hemisphere. (according to grammarist.com)

Left rear; note the beautiful musculature of the "palm" and the opposable "thumb".



Right front partially covered by right rear, in the opossum's typical understep walk.