I’ve noticed that, in my yard anyway, shortly after the buds of the crocuses start to swim up through the crocus leaves, the rabbits come out and nibble the leaves and those almost-flowers down to a stub. Two days ago I walked around the yard and counted the crocuses on the verge. Today I walked around the yard again. Crocuses: most nibbled and now inert for another year. Only one flower, hidden under leaves, left.
I sigh. The phrase “Oh, life,” goes through my head, and next, “It’s bigger than you,” and then the whole song. This is how the mind works, and I can’t help the association. Unlike Stipe’s persona in the song, I am not bitter over aborted buds, but I do think so many of the tasks of adult life involve a reconciliation between the dream and the real. Yes, it’s easy to be sanguine about the damage done by a rabbit; perhaps these kinds of things are practice (like kindergarten) for encountering bigger forces.
I love this song and video. This goes out to friend and fellow fan, James.
leaf stitch word 
Silly Wabbit. I have bunnies in my yard, too. Luckily I cultivate a lot of clover on their behalf and they seem appreciative (if rabbits can be such a thing), but they always do seem to find the sunflower seedlings before they get too far along. I dream of towering sunflowers but I get plump rabbits instead. There’s probably a haiku in there somewhere.
Two years ago I planted a sunflower folly, and I tucked them in with landscaper’s cloth to keep the seeds from crows and squirrels. It worked! A rabbit did take up residence among the flowers later and nibbled at a few stems, but did not do too much damage. I think s/he liked her/his house too much, as you can see here: https://leafstitchword.wordpress.com/2009/08/04/habitat/
I am going to plant another sunflower folly again this summer, but in a different location (just to mix things up). And I should seed the lawn with clover again, too. Thanks for the reminder.