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   For Father’s Day, my older son sent me two small juneberry trees. Juneberries, also known as service berries or sugar plums, are a small tree or large bush that produces sweet half inch purple berries in late May or early June. They have a taste similar to a blueberry and make an attractive addition to one’s landscaping as they make a fragrant white bloom in the spring and brilliant red foliage in the fall. The fruit is good for jelly, pies, or just eating fresh off the tree. I was excited to have something new and different to try and got the little trees planted immediately Friday evening. I dug holes much larger than needed and filled them with fresh potting soil. I carefully placed the trees in the ground, packed the new soft dirt around them and covered the ground with mulch. I put tomato cages over them to support and protect them until they got established and able to support themselves.

   Saturday morning, as is our summer routine, we were mowing the lawn. On a pass by the new plantings, my wife noticed one of the juneberries was laying off to the side of the area we had dug out and a hole had been neatly excavated. She flagged me down and I drove over to inspect the damages. To me, it looked like a rabbit was trying to build a nest in the soft soil intended for the tree. The little tree looked like it had just been moved to the side to get it out of the way and had not been injured. I carefully placed it back where it belonged. Later that evening, we went out to water the new plants only to discover the rabbit had dug the sapling out of the ground again. The rabbit has a choice of anyplace in the nearest six hundred acres to make her nest and chooses to do it in the only place of the farm that really annoys me.

   We wrapped both tomato cages with saran wrap, hoping to discourage continued invasions. Sunday morning, my wife looked out of the kitchen window and saw a rabbit digging a hole in the lawn. I went out and checked my little trees and found she had attempted unsuccessfully to dig under the plastic. I was relieved at that but knew there was a high probability she would be back.

   My younger son, Damon, heard about my rabbit problem and brought over a pair of his beagles. They promptly found a fresh scent and were off on a chase. It sounded like they chased the rabbit more than a mile away. I was fairly certain the rabbit would be back at the house before the dogs, but they were having a good time, and we enjoyed listening to them as we sat on the porch drinking coffee.

   I checked the hole the rabbit was digging in the yard and decided she would probably be back to complete her nest. I got my live trap and baited it with a handful of cotton batting. If she completed her nest, she would want to line it with her own fir and other soft things. She might go get the cotton as it was soft and handy.

   That evening, I looked out of the kitchen window and saw a rabbit in my trap. My wife, the dog, and I decided to go for an evening ride. We drove far enough to make sure she would not find her way back before she had to stop and have her babies. We turned her loose about thirty miles away and she can build her nest in a new location.

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