Young Guest in the Yard

A young bull with velvet on his growing antlers visits my yard for the tasty fireweed, 19 July 2021, Fairbanks, Alaska.

Mother Nature surprised me today while I was cleaning the kitchen. I glanced out the window and saw movement. I gasped when I saw the velvet-covered buds on the young moose’s head. Never before have I seen a bull in the process of growing antlers. The ungulate’s size and his smooth hide, free of nicks and discolorations, made me guess the moose was a youthful one. I stayed by the window to watch and awe while he munched on fireweed. He noticed me watching and after a while the attention was too much and he moved on into the stand of willow behind my house. The lucky wonder left me feeling serene and blessed, as Nature’s charm always does.


A young bull moose with velvety new antlers enjoys the fireweed growing in my yard, 19 July 2021, Fairbanks, Alaska.

Author: Erica K Swift

I have written since I was an elementary school bookworm in Colorado. After college, I traveled to Northern Cyprus, Turkey, and Germany before discovering a home in Alaska. I have self-published children's books, am actively pursuing a publisher for my most recent set of books, and am continuing to write when I am not teaching at a local elementary school.