Sad Little Squirrel Patient

This poor wee baby Squirrel is still very young, and has a swollen joint in one of his... knees? Anyway, Dr. Dana at The Wildlife Center of Virginia felt she couldn't anesthetize him for an x-ray because it would possibly kill him, so instead we taped him down. It looks like we were torturing the poor wee fellow, but really it was in the interest of not harming him! There looked to be no damage to any of his bones, but definitely swelling and a big gap in the growth plate. We'll see how he does. He's being given an anti-inflammatory. It being SquirrelBlipFriday, I thought I'd give him his moment of fame.

The extra, in honor of Flower Friday, is Ironweed, which is just now starting to bloom. A very nice weed that grows here about and that I always try to leave when I find it in or near my flowerbeds. The trick is to recognize it when it's just a sprout.