Will the squirrels come back?

“Everything is made out of Magic, leaves and trees, flowers and birds, badgers and foxes and squirrels and people. So it must be all around us.”

― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

In 2013, the acorn crop in our area of Virginia was poor—almost nonexistent. According to the Virginia Department of Forestry, several factors could have led to the poor crop, including weather conditions during pollination.

Whatever the reasons, most of the squirrels left the neighborhood last fall.

The lack of acorns affected other wildlife, too, including black bears. This spring, there have been numerous sightings of black bears around homes in my part of the state, even in the city of Lynchburg.

I haven’t seen a bear in my neighborhood. But this spring, I’ve seen a few squirrels here and there. I recently saw one in our yard, and I grabbed my camera and got some shots through the den window.

Here, he seems to be contemplating his next move, leg in air.

Here, he’s apparently had enough of this area. Or perhaps he senses a human nearby snapping photos of him.

I hope the squirrels come back. And I hope the acorn crop is better this year, which will help other wildlife, too, including bears and deer.

“It is when we are trapped in incessant streams of compulsive thinking that the universe really disintegrates for us, and we lose the ability to sense the interconnectedness of all that exists.”

― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

The loss of the acorns reminds me that all of life is interconnected. What affects the tree affects the animals. What affects the animals affects humans. And on and on and on, around and around.

I like that feeling of connection. It tells me I’m not alone. None of us are. No matter how anxious or depressed I might sometimes feel, I’m not alone.

And it reminds me that the squirrel in my yard matters.

What kinds of wildlife do you find in your yard?