On the edges of the day we occasionally see foxes, usually one at a time, and briefly, before they melt back into the forest.
I've always associated foxes with the wild, but, as I learned recently, they're pretty adaptable.
My neighbor called the other day to tell me that they had a fox den with four young kits under their back porch
and asked if I'd like to come over and take pictures.
Does an ant like to go to a picnic?
When I arrived, the mother fox was in the open, and her four kits emerged shortly after.
The first one came out cautiously, peering up over the edge of the porch, and the others followed, tumbling over each other to get outside.
They played much like puppies, chasing their tails, running and fighting and rolling in the grass.
Even on their second day out, they were little hunters. When the fireflies lit their lanterns, a kit jumped up and caught one.
There were licking baths from Mom, which were not aways appreciated...
...and plenty of kisses, which were.
So far, the kits stay in their dens for most of the day, appearing in the late afternoon when their mother comes.
All that play can tire a young kit out, and when it was nap time, they piled back into their den.
Their mother retreated a short distance and watched attentively from behind an old bench, then curled up for a nap herself.
All of that play supervision can be tiring, too.
I don't know what the kits dream of when they sleep the day away,
but when my head hits the pillow tonight,
I have a feeling I'll be dreaming of little foxes catching fireflies and playing under the stars.
There will be more pictures in the near future.
I hope you'll be back to see them.
Linking with Saturday's Critters
