Gardener shares photos of unexpected visitor hiding in yard: 'I've almost stepped on them'

A wildlife gardening enthusiast on Reddit shared heartwarming images of a young guest on their property.

A wildlife gardening enthusiast on Reddit shared heartwarming images of a young guest — a fawn — on their property. — Photo Credit: Reddit

The pictures, posted to r/GardenWild, show a fawn splayed out. At first, the poster was worried the baby deer had passed away, but lying like that is merely a defensive mechanism.

"It's super cute from the front but walking up on it from behind filled with dread for a moment until I realized it was alive lol," the poster explained.

When separated from their mothers, fawns instinctively lie very still so as not to attract predators. They do not give off much of a scent, and their adorable spots serve a useful purpose as natural camouflage. According to Maryland's Department of Natural Resources, fawns will eventually join their mother in foraging once they are old enough. It's advised to simply leave fawns be should you ever stumble upon one, and never feed one.

The heart-warming scene was a direct result of the purpose of creating a welcoming space for wildlife in a yard. Rewilding a yard not only attracts cute little visitors but also supports crucial pollinators. Better yet, a yard chock-full of helpful native plants doesn't require nearly as much effort or expense to maintain.

The comments were just as delighted by the fawn as the original poster was.

TCD Picks » Upway Spotlight

💡Upway makes it easy to find discounts of up to 60% on premium e-bike brands

One response had experienced similar dread before realizing the baby deer was just fine: "They're so adorable and I've almost stepped on them when they're like this in the woods.... but man, that first photos thumbnail makes it look like someone squished it into the ground."

One comment said, "I might just be emotional but I started to tear up at the thought of a doe dropping off their fawn to hang out like 'you stay here, they're going to watch you while I'm gone.'"

Another added, "Amazing! Definitely a good luck charm for you."

How would you describe your gardening skills?

I can grow anything 😎