There was a mole on my foot.
And then there wasn’t.
I want to be quite clear: This was no dermatological situation. I’m talking about the other type of mole– the furry, four-legged creature type.
ON MY BARE FOOT!
To be honest, I wasn’t sure exactly what it was at first. Or how we even connected. What I do know is that, unbeknownst to the other, we were both, apparently, enjoying a stroll in the garden. What happened next is uncertain except for the fact that I suddenly felt something on my foot. (Perhaps the creature noted the same thing.) I startled and looked down in time to see a ball of fur with a tail somersault away from me and across the bricks. It rapidly righted itself and scurried beneath the hostas.
I simultaneously screeched and jumped back.
OMG!!! What was that!?
After regaining my balance, I struggled to make sense of what had just happened.
Could I have bumped into it? Or did it bumble into me? And what was it!?
I replayed the moment in my mind. It definitely wasn’t a mouse…the tail was not nearly long enough.
Oh, no! …It couldn’t have been a rat! … Could it? I gulped hard.
No, I reassured myself, the tail was definitely furry, not rat-like.
So, was it a mole? Or a vole? What’s a vole anyway, and do moles or voles have furry tails? What else could it be?
Carefully, I approached the hostas and peered beneath them. I couldn’t make anything out in the shadows. With considerable trepidation, I pulled back a few of the leaves, but still saw nothing. I was relatively sure the creature remained beneath the hostas, so I decided to go get my camera and then wait and see what happened.
I crept inside and then back out, camera in hand, ready to assume my observation position. After several minutes, a leaf rustled. Then another. Something was definitely moving about beneath the hostas!
Oh, I wish I’d thought to put some shoes on!!!
Then… was that a foot? I crouched down to get a better view.
Yes! And then, between the leaves… a patch of dark fur? Maybe…
Yes! It was definitely fur and it looked like the right color. This had to be the same creature! (And really what were the odds that it wasn’t? If they were good, I didn’t even want to know.)
Bit by bit, more of it emerged from beneath the leaves, until finally it was fully visible.
Its face (nose? snout?) was long and its feet were large. It had one of those weird noses. Star-nosed? That rang a dim bell. It definitely looked like it belonged in the mole category somewhere. It was quite undisturbed by my presence on the garden path. It rustled along the edge of the bricks, periodically pausing to dig energetically between bricks or beneath a plant. Go! Go! Go! It was a digging machine! (I put another check in my mental mole classification chart.)
I followed it around for at least 10 minutes, watching it dig, trying to get a clear shot of its amazing nose. This is the best one I could manage, because I’m telling you, that thing moves like crazy! Dirt was flying and most of the time its head was buried or hidden beneath leaves.
Eventually I tired of watching the mole and went inside. As far as I know it continued its digging adventures. A little googling revealed that it was indeed a star-nosed mole. It’s semi-aquatic and has 22 appendages on its nose which are in constant motion. Whoa! It can also smell underwater and is functionally blind. So probably it bumped into me, and that also explains why it was totally unperturbed by my unsubtle spectating.
It certainly wasn’t what I was expecting when I wandered out to the garden, but I’ll take it. Another day, another miracle in the garden!
Tomorrow, though, I’ll wear shoes.
(Side note: My husband NEVER hears me when I screech/shriek/scream outside. This most recent experience confirmed for me that I’m pretty much doomed if a significant misadventure ever happens in our yard.)
Nix the comfort zone 
You had me at the edge of my seat with you adventure starting with the scare and then taking me on you exploration. I have seen moles on the side of the road (usually on their backs, feet up) but never in my garden…but then…I am guessing I just haven’t been looking closely, like you!
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Thanks for reading my lengthy slice and taking the time to comment. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
PS I’m pretty sure those moles on the side of the road are napping…at least that’s what my husband says…
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Just…WOW! What an amazing nature moment you had! I’m jealous…mostly!
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It was pretty crazy! I’m still not sure why a semi-aquatic creature was hanging out at our house. Another mystery!
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Haha, Molly! That was amazing. A star-nosed mole. I’ve only thought of/seen them in books, and you had one on your foot. I like that because it is blind it was able to proceed to dig and show off its magic without being bothered by your spectating. Like Mary Lee, I’m a little jealous of your close encounter.
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It was amazing! I also learned that they can smell underwater! They blow a bubble next to something and then inhale the bubble to get the scent of it. What marvelous creatures!
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Of COURSE you went inside and got your camera – and then followed it around. I cannot tell you how much I loved this story – right through your potential doom. Perfect. And like the others, I’m a little jealous that you got to see a star-nosed mole – though I’m not sure I would have been so persistent about finding it after it ran across my foot!
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Thanks, Amanda! I was so happy that it stuck around and let me spectate 🙂 I’m hoping it avoids my cats though…I did warn it, but I don’t know if it was listening.
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I read this post this morning before starting my day, and it was such a beautiful reminder to stay curious, and let wonder in, even about the furry creatures that bump into your feet (eek!).
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Molly, the creatures are flowing to you – first that juvenile jay & now your meandering mole. I hope it visits you again. It looks so velvety.
Ours never appear in daylight. Perhaps this is quite the rare encounter. So glad it’s a star-nosed one! This mystery with images if beautifully & suspenseful. And like all good tales, it was over too soon.
BRAVA!
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Molly, I love your slice! So suspenseful, interesting, funny, and educational. You had me laughing out loud. Great photos! 22 appendages on that cool star nose in constant motion? That is so cool. I still can’t believe you didn’t have shoes on. LOL! Oh, and I know all about a husband not hearing my screams.
When I was a kid, I remember a couple of our cats bringing home a mole, but they didn’t have a star nose. Mostly, they hunted deer mice from fields across the road we loved on. We once had a cat, named Venus bring home a jackrabbit, which was bigger than her! She hid it under a bench on our patio in a dark corner. I remember why she kept going under the bench. Like you I was curious and took a peek. Yuck!
Thank you for sharing your curiosity in a suspenseful adventure. I enjoyed it.
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