Here at GS we’ve had an exciting winter. Lots of unexpected rain, flooding, and an overabundance of rabbits! The airport nursery which we manage is located on a wetland so flooding is not unexpected. Most of our plants are on waist-high benches and generally safe.

Except for this year. During the recent heavy rains we had super-rabbits hopping, no, leaping, tall tables for their lives. As the waters rose during the heavy December storms during the rising waters of the of the December storms sirens went off and the airport folks evacuated the area and shut down all flights.

But the rabbits kept coming. And once high and mostly dry they did what rabbits do. It took a bit of sleuthing to figure out who was munching our fragile, finicky dune plants. At first, our horticulturist Ruth and I suspected mice, maybe rats. But the leaves weren’t browsed, and quarter inch thick stems were cut clean at 45-degree angles.

But since 2023 is the Chinese year of the rabbit—said to be the luckiest animal in the Chinese Zodiac—we consider the unexpected browsing an offering. And wish you hope, longevity, peace, and prosperity for the year and beyond.