Observations by natureversity

While exploring this park with a group of kids, I decided to ask them about the plant in the first picture. It looked like perhaps it would do a fine jobs as cordage. When we approached the plant, and I grabbed a few pieces of the leaves, an eastern cottontail darted from underneath the plant and into the juniper forest that lay ahead. All of the children, including myself jumped at the explosive reaction from this small rabbit. As we all looked at each other with wide eyes, one of the kids wondered where could this mammal have been hiding? So upon closer inspection, we discovered a rabbit form. I didn't have a ruler on me at the time. But I placed a quarter in the picture for a size reference.