Going into the woods to take a photo of my native white spider lily (Hymenocallis occidentalis), I came face to face with a pair of whitetail does, probably Agnes’ progeny. I’m reasonably certain she left this world some time ago, as she hasn’t been seen in half a decade, but she apparently taught them well the concept of no fear, at least of me. I yelled and stomped and waved my arms, and they just stood, sizing me up through wide, liquid brown eyes like a couple of entitled Karens with expressions of “What the heck’s wrong with you, lady?” Then they sauntered off, white tails raised in insolent flips. They took their sweet time jumping the fence too.

If they had eaten my lily, it might have been cause for violence, but luckily for them, it was protected with a wire cage — Agnes taught m

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