squirrels

[digitS']

Squirrels are all sciurids but there are 2 groups that we are likely to find hereabouts:

Sciurinae are the tree-living squirrels of the North American continent and elsewhere. They tend not to live in large groups and some gardeners have found that they have little negative impact on gardens.

Xerinae are mainly the ground-living squirrels including the marmots and groundhogs, prairie dogs and others. They tend to live in large groups and can devastate agricultural land and gardens.

Steve

 

[wifezilla]

Little IMPACT!!!!

Those tree rats have destroyed ever melon plant, zucchini plant, and squash I planted. I managed to keep one protected enough when it was small that they didn't eat the plant. They HAVE, however, stolen the developing fruit.

 

[digitS']

Well obviously, the impact varies. I have yet to identify anything other than little holes as evidence of the Eastern gray squirrels in the garden. One took a ripe plum off the neighbor's tree once and ate it while sitting on a tree branch in my backyard. After nearly 15 years with gardens where they can get at them, this is the only produce loss I've ever noticed.

On the other hand, the 2 walnut trees across the road seem to hold enormous fascination for them altho' I notice that they never build their nests in those 2 trees. They just fight over them. If there are 2 tree squirrels over there - one is trying to chase the other away.

I've seen gardeners complain about them eating sedums, of all things.

Ground squirrels of just about every type create moonscapes. For some reason, these squirrels are often called "gophers" but are quite different, of course. From ground hogs to hoary marmots to prairie dogs to even chipmunks, they are really tough to have around.

On rangeland, they are blamed for accelerating cattle grazing impact to damaging levels. The rap on them is that what the cow starts the ground squirrel finishes (off).

Well, I was just curious about the id'ing of the pests.

Steve
edited to add: and they eat tulip bulbs, but everything eats tulip bulbs. I've been thinking of eating some myself before the deer eradicates the species once and for all and I miss my chance .