On my walk yesterday

Canis latrans

Better known as coyote, prairie wolf, trickster. Found throughout Central and North America, from Panama to Alaska. 

And in the open space near my home.

Once, on a bike ride through Yellowstone, I was followed by a coyote. I watched her in my bike mirror, just off my back wheel. She was beautiful, running. Then she disappeared into the woods. A fellow cyclist who had come from LA to do this bike trip described this as being "chased by a wolf." I described it as a gift.

Coyotes have a bad reputation around these parts. They've become too accustomed to humans (as you can see ... why isn't she keeping an eye on me, or better yet, running away?) This puts them at risk because they scare children (and sometimes adults), and they tend to like small animals for dinner, like cats, bunnies, even very small dogs. Here, she's watching for a prairie dog snack, but kittens on the porch are less work. You get the picture.

I feel blessed whenever I get to see one, but I worry about them. I probably shouldn't, in the large picture. Coyotes have thrived despite countless efforts to eliminate them. Heck, people can't even reduce their numbers. They have actually increased in number and in range since humans arrived on their scene.

But still, I worry about them individually. Like this one. I'm reminded of the story of a man on the beach seen picking up starfish and throwing them back into the sea. Someone asked him why. "You can't possibly save them all," they told him. Tossing a starfish into the surf, he replied, "Maybe not, but I saved that one."

I'm not saving coyotes, not even this one. She's in her element right where she is. It's we who are out of place. I do worry about her, though, even if her species seems to be safer than ours is.