No one ever says anything nice about skunks. Remember the song “Dead Skunk” by Loudon Wainwright III? Well no more. I walked out the back door of the caretaker’s cabin one night this past week and stumbled upon one of the many skunks that make their homes here. I had a head lamp on and was about to go for a night run when that dreaded white stripe caught my eye.
I’ve photographed a few skunks during daylight hours, making sure that I’ve always respected their personal 15 foot rule, and they have always been quite accommodating. But I never realized they were such helpful gardeners.
For the past few weeks I’ve been walking and mowing around a yellow jackets nest located between the cabin’s back door and my car. The hole in the ground was no larger than the width of my thumb but below was a land mine the size of a soccer ball just waiting to explode. I’ve been stung multiple times this summer mowing the yard and despite the painful memories I’ve simply been too lazy to do anything about this most recent nest. What had become a constant nuisance for me had now became a high protein snack for the skunk.
Upon closer observation I discovered that this nocturnal visitor had dug down and found the nest leaving a 6 inch diameter hole revealing all that was left of the bees and their comfy little home. From what I’ve read, skunks seem to be immune to the bee stings and prey on both the larvae and adults.
So next time I’m driving and see a dead skunk in the middle of the road, rather than mocking him by humming the popular 70’s tune “dead skunk in the middle of the road, roll up your windows and hold your nose” I’ll simply salute. I’d much rather endure the passing odor than be stung repeatedly by more yellow jackets. Bring on the skunks!
