No, this is not the title for another TV murder mystery. Rather, it is an acknowledgement that we have entered the peak roadkill season, as the carcasses of raccoons, opossums and skunks litter our scenic byways. Soon to be joined by lovesick groundhogs, these small mammals are roaming about in response to their mating instinct, following trails of pheromones across the late winter landscape. Primarily nocturnal, these determined suitors sometimes look for love in the wrong places, even on our concrete ribbons of death, and too often meet an inglorious demise.
Were it not for our roads and vehicles they might be culled by owls, fox or coyotes; in fact, fresh carcasses may be claimed by natural predators while others provide sustenance for vultures and less conspicuous scavengers. Fortunately, these small mammals are prolific and the highway slaughter has little impact on their populations.
However, it is disturbing to realize that these victims are often lured to their deaths by the chemicals of reproduction. Then again, nature sustains itself through a balance of life and death and we often take part in that process, as purposeful hunters or as night-blind motorists.
