Wildlife spotted on the farm include deer, raccoon,
coyote, opossum, squirrel, rabbit, fox, duck, turkey, red-tail
hawks, American bald eagles, owls, bats, fire flies, pheasant,
bobcat, and countless varieties of bird. It is
important to leave portions of farmland wild as homes for these
creatures. While some wild animals can be an occasional
nuisance to farming, they also can greatly contribute to a healthy
farm organism. For example, wild animals keep the farm's
rodent and insect pest populations in check.
In an effort to learn more about and care for the wildlife of
the farm, we have encouraged the on-farm research of local
biologists, Conrad and Claudia Vispo (founders of the Farmscape
Ecology Program). To our surprise and delight, they have
found two quite rare creatures living on the farm: the bronze
copper butterfly and the leopard frog. Both of these species
depend on the wet meadows habitat of the farm which, at first
glance, many people consider somewhat useless.
