I used these 6 tiny (7cms x 7cms) lino cut illustrations, in a hand printed book I made for my grandson, called “Why a Hare is Not a Rabbit”.
Hares live above ground. They make dents in the grass to huddle down in, called forms. Rabbits live in warrens they dig underground.
Young hares (leverets) are born with their eyes open.
Young rabbits (kittens) are born with their eyes shut.
Leverets are born fully furred but rabbit kittens are bald when they are born.
Mainly nocturnal, hares live alone and only come together when they are choosing a mate.
Rabbits live in large family groups both above and below ground.
The hare is considerably larger than the rabbit and is the UK’s fastest mammal with a top speed of 35-45 mph.
The rabbit is much slower.
I am a member of The Hare Preservation Trust and edited and contributed to “The Hare Book” for them. My illustrations were used as endpapers at the front and back and that was the point at which I thought, ‘this would make interesting fabric’.
If you are passionate about hares too, do consider joining The Hare Preservation Trust, a volunteer group that campaigns for a close season for the hare and promotes the cause of this most iconic of UK mammals. www.hare-preservation-trust.co.uk
I am planning more Wild Life prints in this style…next up the red squirrel!
