2204_1122 Porcupine
I often see Porcupines in April, and I think I know why. All winter, they've been stripping bark from branches, eating the tender ends of twigs and nutrient-packed buds found on shrubs such as buffaloberry.
Suddenly, spring is here (or maybe gradually, depending on the year and the random turns of weather). New leaves of grass and other low growing plants develop before the shrubs produce leaves, and they must contain nutrients that the spiny rodents crave. All the Porcupines I've seen recently have been on the ground. Sometimes their muzzles are pressed directly against the ground, clipping new growth, possibly pulling up roots, evidently enjoying their expanded diet.
I learned about Porcupines early in my backpacking days, in the 1970s. Porcupines chewed holes in my pack one night in Kootenay National Park, after which I found room for it inside my tent. The next day I met a group of four hikers who were bivouacking under plastic sheeting instead of carrying tents; they had spent the whole night chasing off Porcupines that were trying to use them as a salt lick. Porcupines crave sodium. And I've heard horror stories of backpackers returning to their vehicles to find their tires shredded by Porcupines, maybe for the road salt, maybe just for the joy of chewing rubber.
I have to admit they're cute.
I've been surprised at how Porcupines have adapted to prairie habitat, as I always have associated them with mountains and forests. But here they are. I surprised this one in the open, made several dozen shots from the rolling red Toyota blind before it waddled away across a prairie dog town.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2022 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
2204_1122 Porcupine
I often see Porcupines in April, and I think I know why. All winter, they've been stripping bark from branches, eating the tender ends of twigs and nutrient-packed buds found on shrubs such as buffaloberry.
Suddenly, spring is here (or maybe gradually, depending on the year and the random turns of weather). New leaves of grass and other low growing plants develop before the shrubs produce leaves, and they must contain nutrients that the spiny rodents crave. All the Porcupines I've seen recently have been on the ground. Sometimes their muzzles are pressed directly against the ground, clipping new growth, possibly pulling up roots, evidently enjoying their expanded diet.
I learned about Porcupines early in my backpacking days, in the 1970s. Porcupines chewed holes in my pack one night in Kootenay National Park, after which I found room for it inside my tent. The next day I met a group of four hikers who were bivouacking under plastic sheeting instead of carrying tents; they had spent the whole night chasing off Porcupines that were trying to use them as a salt lick. Porcupines crave sodium. And I've heard horror stories of backpackers returning to their vehicles to find their tires shredded by Porcupines, maybe for the road salt, maybe just for the joy of chewing rubber.
I have to admit they're cute.
I've been surprised at how Porcupines have adapted to prairie habitat, as I always have associated them with mountains and forests. But here they are. I surprised this one in the open, made several dozen shots from the rolling red Toyota blind before it waddled away across a prairie dog town.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2022 James R. Page - all rights reserved.