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What's in your backyard? I've seen rabbits, raccoons, deer, turkeys, turtles, opossums and more; and I've painted a few. It wasn't until recently, however, that I had any desire to paint an opossum!

Fun Facts.

Did you know that the opossum is the only marsupial ("pouched" mammal) found in North America?

According to Opossum Society of the United States (OPSUS):

Like kangaroos and koalas, infant opossums stay inside the mother’s pouch to nurse and develop ... Opossums are born after an 11-13 day gestation period. The pink, embryonic-looking infants are so small at birth that 20 could fit into a teaspoon. The infants continue to develop inside the pouch. As they grow and the pouch becomes full, the juveniles then ride on the mother’s back until they are old enough to go out on their own.

A few more interesting tidbits from OPSUS:

• The opossum has an average lifespan of 1 to 2 years.
• It has 50 teeth, more than any North American land mammal.
• The opossum does not hang upside down by the tail, a common misconception.
• Opossums are a benefit to any area they inhabit. Their diet includes mice and rats, snails, and all types of bugs and insects. These critters keep our neighborhoods clean and free of unwanted, harmful garden pests and rodents, which may carry diseases. The opossum has earned the title of “Nature’s Little Sanitation Engineer.”

Recent visitors.
When these two opossums arrived at my feeders to clean up after the birds, I was struck by how clean and pretty they were! (The only opossums I've seen prior to this were usually scruffy or battle-worn.) I especially loved those pink toes!

I took lots of photos and knew I'd have to paint one of these cuties! (See Pink Nose, Pink Toes, top of page.)

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"Follow your heart in terms of both content and artistic treatment. Be true to yourself as an artist; it's the only way to achieve fulfillment in your work."

~Brian Bailey

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Final thoughts.

Next time you see an opossum, be nice! Your neighborhood opossum (aka “Nature’s Little Sanitation Engineer”) only wants to clean up your trash and rid your yards of pests. And who wants to prevent that?

 

More critters to come.

On my latest trip to Table Rock Lake, I spotted my first (live) armadillo! I'll tell you more about that enlightening experience in a future blog.

 

I'll also tell you about the new resident in my pondless water feature.

 

Until next time,

 

Paint. Love. Repeat.