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The coyote trotting through your neighborhood at dusk isn't a threat to your yard. She's managing it.Most people see a coyote near a suburb and think something is wrong — that she's lost, starving, or dangerous. She's none of those. She's hunting the rodents, rabbits, and groundhogs that would otherwise multiply unchecked in the spaces between houses.🌿 A single coyote family removes a remarkable number of mice, voles, and rabbits from a neighborhood each year. The rodents that eat your garden seedlings, gnaw irrigation lines, and nest in sheds — the coyote is the only common predator keeping those populations in balance in most suburban areas.She's also one of the few native predators that adapted to suburban landscapes instead of retreating from them. She didn't invade the suburb. She followed the prey that was already thriving there.🐾 If a coyote is in your area:- She's almost certainly not interested in you. Coyotes avoid people and hunt at dawn, dusk, and after dark when yards are empty- Keep small pets supervised outdoors during dawn and dusk — this is when coyotes are most active- Don't leave pet food, fallen fruit, or unsecured garbage outside — these are the attractants that bring her closer to the house than she'd otherwise come- If you see one during the day, she's likely a nursing mother foraging extra hours to feed pups. This is normal spring behavior, not a sign of illnessThe coyote passing through at dusk isn't a problem in the neighborhood. She's one of the few things keeping the rodent problem from becoming one 🌱