All Five Senses

We saw a fox run across the yard, almost to the patio, before turning to head for a neighbor's garden.  A little later, as the sun was setting, we took a walk around the block and could smell a mild skunk-like odor.  Not seeing many skunks recently this was probably the fox spore, more intense on the foggy night.

The next night, a little later, almost dark there was a strange intermittent noise moving in circles in the field at the end of Cloverlea.  It was like a crow or a bluejay, but on the ground able to go quickly through the hedges.  There is a similar call on youtube under "fox,calls" used when they are playing or fighting.  We could not see the fox but suspect that was the culprit.

On the foraging trips Victoria emphasizes using all the senses.  Pausing to listen, eyes closed may help, can be interesting.  For example a thicket of woods may seem pristine but  if there are nearby traffic noise, pollution may be a concern.  Some plants and seed pods can have a rattling noise.

Touch can help with leave identification, waxy, rough, sandpaper, various qualities. Taste may be left for last, but smell is underutilized.  One to try is the spice bush at the corner of Cloverlea and Rolandvue.  The growth pattern is shown in the first picture and the stippled bark in the second.  It can be identified even in winter without the red berries. Break a twig to show the green undersurface and smell.  The ground at the base has creeping charlie,crush a leave and see if there is a fragrance. If there is a spice smell, probably ok to experiment with chewing on the twig.