Wascally Wabbit LbNA #25086 (ARCHIVED)

I can’t prove it, but I think Bugs Bunny was a Jackrabbit. A jackrabbit is long and lean, can generally outrun or outwit its enemies and can be quite a rascal. Because of a preference for sparsely vegetated areas, this species often concentrates in pastures overgrazed by livestock, further depleting the vegetation. It’s been estimated that 128 jackrabbits can eat as much range vegetation as one cow or seven sheep (especially carrots?), which doesn’t endear the animal to farmers and ranchers, mainly because jackrabbits are too skinny to raise commercially for meat. Early settlers called them “Jackass Rabbits” because their long ears reminded them of donkeys, but I guess that term wouldn’t be spoken in polite company, and it was shortened to “Jackrabbits”. Jackrabbits are actually beneficial to their worst enemies, which are coyotes, foxes, bobcats, badgers and other predators, because of the fact that efforts to eliminate the predators often results in an increase in jackrabbits. You Wascally Wabbit!

Directions:

This letterbox is placed at Hogan Park in far north Midland. Go north on SH 349 (Big Spring St.) to Wadley. Turn east on Wadley and pass Lamesa Road. On the left you will see the Sibley Nature Learning Center. Turn left onto Sibley Circle. Pass the Sibley Nature Learning Center and the Midland Women’s Club building. We placed Wascally Wabbit here since everywhere we went, we saw rabbits. In fact, one rabbit told us where to place the box. On the left is a parking lot and on the right is the start of the Sibley Nature Trail.

To the box:

Take the north trail. You will notice numbered trail markers. When you come to marker 5 you will see a “Y”. Stay right and look for the trail marker 13, where you will see a large opening to the right of the trail. Facing the sign, look straight across the opening to the brush line. There are breaks in the brush at 11:00, 10:00 and 9:00. Take 29 steps from the trail marker toward the 10:00 break and look for a mesquite on the right. Under the mesquite you will see a piece of a brick and under the brick you will find the mini camo box.