A scurry of squirrels

We’re experiencing a squirrel population surge in northern New England. Wildlife experts say it’s because of a bounteous supply of acorns last year. With lots of food to fatten them up before the winter, more squirrels survived until spring, and they had more babies this spring and summer. Now lots of squirrels are crossing New England highways, and some are ending up as roadkill that highway departments have to contend with.

Squirrels are on the move searching for food - photo Michael Palmer

    This explains trouble I’m having with squirrels in my yard. Gray squirrels are digging frantically in the potting soil around my container plants. It’s worst if they’re newly planted and there’s lots of soil unbound by roots. But the squirrels try out all the pots, even ones filled with established plants. I’m not sure whether they’re searching for food they previously hid or checking out new potential cache sites. The result is damage to plants that I want to keep through the winter, such as a new blueberry bush and some promising young strawberry plants just starting to bear fruit.

Netting to keep squirrels out of pot of strawberries

    Investigating this moment in squirrel history, I learned that the expected density of squirrels in wooded areas is approximately two per acre. It feels as if I’ve got about ten living on my third-of-an-acre lot, although I admit I can’t tell one squirrel from another. Researchers deal with this problem by capturing squirrels and marking them or implanting chips in order to track individuals.

Squirrel research - photo USFWS

    Our yard must be a favorable place for squirrels because we have so many trees. It’s fun to watch squirrels circumnavigating the clearing at the back of the house, running along thin branches and stretching or leaping from treetop to treetop without ever having to leave the top of the canopy. The neighborhood is full of mature red and white oaks, including a venerable red oak in our yard, so we’ve got lots of acorns.

Will there be enough acorns for the squirrels?

    I also learned that booms and busts in squirrel populations are expected and common. In the 17th and 18th centuries, when North America was covered with forest and squirrels inhabited more territory, explorers and naturalists observed estimated millions of squirrels migrating when food ran out due to population explosions. The herds of squirrels reportedly ran for up to 100 miles and swam major rivers, including the Mississippi. Squirrel numbers declined in the 19th and 20th centuries, but periodic migrations continued. The most recent major migrations occurred in 1968 and 1985. What a sight that would be!

Add swimming to squirrels' talents - photo Lindsay Trostle

    Of course, the predictable end of a squirrel population explosion is a squirrel population crash. Without enough acorns to feed all the squirrels, some will die this winter, and the survivors will produce fewer young. Then the population will presumably level off again.

Winter is a hard time for squirrels

    I’m not sure how I feel about this squirrel die-off. While squirrels in general may be a problem for the garden, it’s hard not to think of a single squirrel as a conscious individual with her own reasons to survive. So take some strawberries, squirrels. I can spare them.

"If you prick us, do we not bleed?"