Massachusetts gardener Gie (@gie64826) shared some adorable footage of a visitor she had in her yard.
The video clip showed a baby porcupine munching on clover in her lawn. It's interesting to see it during the day, as the animals are typically nocturnal.
@gie64826 #babyporcupine #backyardwildlife #backyardnature #cloverflower ♬ Welp, Didn't Expect That - Yu-Peng Chen & HOYO-MiX
On top of being adorable, porcupines are important habitat engineers that prune trees when searching for food. This helps to cycle nutrients and clear the canopy so a wide range of plants can access sunlight. Of course, porcupine quills can be a hazard to nosy pets, so be sure to keep them on a short leash if porcupines start getting comfortable in your yard.
Gie has shown that replacing your lawn with native alternatives is a great way to support local ecosystems. On top of attracting porcupines, clover can also prop up pollinator populations that are otherwise facing steep challenges.
Grass could be considered the largest irrigated crop in America, consuming an incredible amount of water and offering little ecosystem support in return.
Meanwhile, clover is one of many ground cover options that use far less water, which means less money spent on monthly utility bills. It also helps that clover doesn't grow especially high. This can help cut down on the amount of time spent mowing.
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Being able to grow a lawn with less water also creates added resiliency in the face of growingly intense droughts. Some homeowners have moved toward xeriscaping as a means of fully adapting their yards to low rainfall conditions.
On top of more recurrent droughts, increasing atmospheric pollution has also made other extreme weather patterns more common, such as floods and storms. Combined, these hold significant destructive potential for yards and even affect home insurance rates.
Gie's TikTok followers were tickled pink by the porcupine sighting on her clover lawn.
"Cutest thing I've seen all day," one community member wrote.
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"OMGOODNESS! So adorable!" another replied.
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