Chippy

He was rescued from the mouth of a cat when he was a baby, which may explain the disappearance of half his tail. He spent the winter in the home of a botany professor, who fed him carrots and sunflower seeds, and named him Chippy. When spring came, he seemed depressed. So he was dispatched to my garden.

Chippy arrived in a box of shredded newspaper, secure inside a second box from an office supply company. His rescuer selected a spot at the edge of a sizable pile of brush in a shady corner of the garden. He opened one box, then the other, and watched for several minutes while Chippy looked around cautiously, then quickly made his escape. He disappeared into the garden.

I have been watching for Chippy and although I have seen dozens of chipmunks since then, they all seem to have tails of the normal length. Several times on Sunday, I walked by a spot of ivy on the shady side of a fence and heard the startled squeek of a chipmunk. Chippy?

I still leave sunflower seeds and carrots by his box. They are always gone whenI go back to check a few hours later. Maybe a squirrel is eating the food and Chippy is out enjoying the fruits of my garden.

On the menu today:

Salvia urticifolia and Baptisia 'Purple Smoke' Both natives

My favorite hosta, Sum and Substance

Chionanthus virginicus, native fringe tree

Coreopsis tripteris and Asclepias syriaca, both natives, look great together

Early spring garden, perfect for chipmunks.