Your Backyard Is Wild Read Online Free Page A

how are we supposed to do that here?” Gabe asked doubtfully. “I think we’ve seen all the animals there are to see.”
    “No way,” Lucy said. “I’ll bet there’s a whole lot more for us to find.”
    “Wildlife isn’t exactly what makes New York famous,” Gabe pointed out. “But I guess it would be okay to try. Where do we start?”
    Benjamin smiled. “Well . . . can you get that key to the backyard?”
     
    It took until the next afternoon for them to find out that the key was hanging in another neighbor’s kitchen. And Aunt Lily thought it would be great for Gabe to get some fresh air, as long as he wasn’t roughhousing outside. As soon as they got the key, Benjamin grabbed his backpack and the three cousins tromped down to the basement again. The grown-ups could watch them from the upstairs window.
    Lucy turned the key in the lock and pushed open the door to the yard. It squeaked on its hinges, like it hadn’t been used in a while. The cousins climbed up three steps and blinked in the afternoon light.
    “Oh, man,” said Gabe. “Look at the grass!” It was at least knee-high and looked like it hadn’t been mowed in a couple of months. There was a brick path to the fence at the back of the property and a raised flower bed that needed weeding. There were old flow erpots scattered around the yard, too.
    “It’s perfect!” Lucy exclaimed. “The wilder, the better.”
    “So, what now?” Gabe asked.
    “Our parents have one rule,” Benjamin said. “We’re supposed to keep quiet. It’s so we can hear any animals coming toward us—and not scare them away if they are.”
    Gabe nodded. “I can do that,” he said.
    Benjamin sat on the steps and listened. The city was so much noisier than the swamp back home. He could hear all the sounds that had surprised him before, plus even more. There was the blast of a ferry whistle out on the water, and the chopping of a helicopter. Benjamin wondered if that noise alone would scare away any animals. Then, suddenly, he heard something else. A rustling in the leaves above him. He looked up and saw a New York squirrel! He didn’t know exactly what kind it was, but it was medium size and gray, and it was watching him with its shiny black eyes.

    The squirrel hopped down off a low tree branch and perched on the side of a large flowerpot. With its front feet, it dug in the dirt until it found what it wanted: some seeds.
    Slowly, Benjamin handed Gabe the binoculars so he could watch the squirrel eating the seeds one by one in the grass. When the squirrel was through, it hopped a few feet away and dug another small hole in the ground. There was an acorn buried there! The boys observed as the squirrel gnawed on it, then bounded away.
    “All right . . . I’ve never done that before,” Gabe practically whispered. He seemed in awe of what had just happened. “I’ve seen thousands of squirrels before, but I never really watched one.”
    “Did you see how it knew where the acorn was?” Benjamin asked. “Squirrels have a very accurate memory for where they’ve hidden their food. They bury nuts and seeds in thousands of places every year, and they can always find them!”
    “I guess I’ve never really thought about it before . . . ,” Gabe said, trailing off.
    “When you’re a backyard explorer, you see things a little differently!” Benjamin announced. He dug through the flowerpot for the seeds the squirrel had left behind. Then he popped them into one of his plastic collecting jars. Later, he’d ask his parents what they were.
    Benjamin wandered over to the flower bed next. If he was an explorer, that seemed like exciting new territory. He could see where daffodils had bloomed in the spring—their stalks were still there—and where someone had even tried to plant a few vegetables. Some tomato stalks were climbing up a pole, but there were just nubs where there should have been hard, green tomatoes ready to ripen. Benjamin was sure another animal had