Nature Note:Young of the Year

They are already appearing,the young of the year.Mourning doves were the first sighted,with three squabs eating under the feeder with their parents.Then a male northern cardinal was seen feeding his young in a leyland cypress.This morning,a tiny cottontail was observed nestled against a picket fence.The rabbits can be pesky,occasionally nibbling on landscape plants,but are generally a welcome member of the urban forest.Yesterday,a light frost occurred-probably the final one of the year-but the tomato plants were unscathed,along with the tiny rabbit.