Spring is here and as such it's time for the occasional photo of the various flora and fauna sprouting in my yard, as in this post from last year of some gigantor wasps.

The tornado we had last year (dismissively referred to as a "microburst" by local TV weather people) left a large portion of the wetland behind our property a pile of fallen trees and brambles -- exacerbated by neighbors' disposal of their own yard debris. While not very picturesque, it did seem to create a perfect habitat for a family of foxes to move into, carving themselves a den in what used to be the roots of a fallen tree.

I've seen two adults (I think there are two -- I haven't seen them together yet) and three kits, and as I've seen them so frequently over the past couple of weeks, I knew their den must be nearby (I've also found clumps of feathers around the bird feeders and chew marks on the rabbit hutch). Today I found it. (Click any thumb for a larger version):

Here's a shot with houses in the background so you can see how suburban this is:

A shot straight into the den:

Here's the only shot I have of the residents. That's the mother giving me a harumph over her shoulder:

I'll keep my eyes and camera ready to try to get a better picture of the foxes. They are beautiful animals.