Portrait of an Eastern Cottontail

I am not usually out and about on Mondays, but I was on this one. So I took the opportunity to make a rare Monday morning visit to the Arboretum. And there I encountered the very twitchy-nosed rabbit that you see in this picture. It was sitting quietly in the fragrance garden with its paws neatly tucked, as though it were posing for a personal portrait. And so I obliged, of course!

The rabbit was immaculately groomed, not a hair out of place. You might be tempted to think that the Arboretum employs a full-time staff of bunny groomers, but that is not the case at all. In fact, I suspect that the bunnies, whose tracks I often see in the snow, enjoy a tenuous peace with the gardeners, as much that is planted there is - I suspect - delicious and nutritious, especially for rabbits.

My morning photo shoots can be lightning-quick, often no longer than 15 to 20 minutes or so. Of that, I spent 2 minutes with this rabbit, enjoying its quiet presence and taking some photos. And then - quick like a bunny! - off it hopped, into the pollinator gardens, while I returned to my car and headed off to work.

This is a rabbit portrait, and for some reason, the Def Leppard tune Photograph popped into mind. According to Wikipedia: "Singer Joe Elliott described the song as generally about 'something you can't ever get your hands on.'" And I guess that includes wild rabbits!

On a more personal note, I became a fan of Def Leppard when their 1983 album, Pyromania, came out. The boy I was dating at the time actually owned the album on 8-track, and we listened to it - LOUD! - until it dissolved in a puff of smoke in the machine! (No, I'm not making it up: the 8-track actually ended up dead, and smoking. Pyromania, indeed! Let the buyer beware.) I'm including two versions of the song, one from the 80s when it first came out, and a more recent version that shows the boys can still rock it old school!