By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times
One evening in early June, Trish and Scott Hart were sitting on the deck of their home on Lake Panorama’s Andrews Cove.
“We were enjoying the beautiful weather when we noticed movement on the back step of our neighbors’ home,” Trish says. “It was four baby raccoons snuggling together, playfully climbing around on top of each other.”
Hart got her camera and used a zoom lens to capture photos and videos of the scene.
“I know we lake folks have grown to see the pesky, troublesome side of raccoons,” Hart says. “But raccoon babies are so cute and entertaining in their innocence.”
Baby raccoons are called kits, and a group of baby raccoons is called a litter. Breeding season for raccoons is from January to March, with kits born in April and May.
Newborn raccoons are tiny and underdeveloped. It takes four to six weeks for kits to begin to look like miniature versions of adult raccoons.
Young raccoons often are left temporarily while their mother searches for food or moves them between den sites. Hart reports that was the case with this litter of four. They were only on the step for a short time, just long enough for her to document their visit.
Hart specializes in nature photography. She offers prints of her photos on canvas, paper, metal and glass. Learn more by visiting Nature’s Canvas Photography on Facebook.