I’ve been waiting for this photo for a while. Maggie from Real Family Time promised to try to capture an image of her backyard guest months ago, but since opossums are nocturnal, this is no easy task. Now at last, we unveil the only (known) image of Popcorn, the ‘possum.
You may ask why this is a big deal (and I’ll tell you!). Yes, opossums are common suburban creatures east of the Rockies and on the west coast. This guy, however, is a hip, city-dweller from Brooklyn.
Like raccoons, opossums are common urban residents. They are highly adaptable omnivores, which helps them succeed in disrupted environments like cities. They are nocturnal, which gives them a measure of privacy to go about their business. And, they are still small enough to hide in forgotten corners to escape detection.
While city-dwelling opossums are not rare, I think they should be celebrated. Not for their beauty, for they are certainly not that, but for their ability to bring a little of the wild into an overwhelmingly human-constructed environment. They, along with their raccoon, pigeon, and sparrow cohorts (and the trees!), remind us that there is still a bit of wild in the city. Even where concrete, glass, and brick stretch out in all directions, there is life lurking in the corners that we do not control. That, I think, is freeing.
