Efficient Squirrels
By Morley Hunt
@Morleyhunt (21741)
Canada
October 8, 2016 7:42pm CST
The property around our home has dozens of walnut, hickory and oak trees. There also seem to be dozens of squirrels busily preparing for winter.
Each year, around this time I pick up hundreds of walnuts and dump them in the bush behind our house. The ground is littered with the hard green balls.
These same hard green balls startle you, every time the wind knocks them from the trees and onto our roof.
This year has been unusual. The walnut trees are heavily laden, but we aren't finding the nuts on the ground, or hearing many of them crash onto the roof
The ambitious squirrels are climbing the trees, picking the walnuts and carrying them down to their hiding spots. They are simply not waiting for them to fall to the ground for harvesting.
Does all this activity have a meaning? The farmers almanac is calling for a very cold, snowy winter. Do the squirrels know something, we don't know?
10 people like this
9 responses
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
9 Oct 16
We enjoy watching them carrying their nuts around. Last year when they chose our attic to play in we didn't find them quite as entertaining.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128824)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Oct 16
I was thinking that, if the squirrels are being proactive and taking the nuts off the trees instead of waiting for them to fall, then they must sense that a cold winter is on the way! And by the way, I trust the Farmers Almanac much more than I do our modern day weathermen who can never get their forecasts right!
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
9 Oct 16
This is the first time I have seen the squirrels gather the nuts directly from the trees. We've been watching squirrel behaviour for sixteen years. Last year they piled pine cones at the base of a couple of trees. By spring all the pine cones had been chewed up.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128824)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Oct 16
@Morleyhunt That's pretty cool. I've never seen them stack pine cones before!
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
9 Oct 16
@moffittjc that was a first for us. We actually had wondered if it was raccoons stacking the pine cone, but after watching the squirrels, we realized just how industrious they can be.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (56195)
• Canada
9 Oct 16
@Morleyhunt It is only 40F here right now......its turning on us!
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
9 Oct 16
@Juliaacv chilly outside this morning....I keep remembering the snowstorm we had in October 12, 2006. We had a beautiful thanksgiving day (picnic on the patio kind of day). Then Thurday afternoon we all chuckled when we noticed it starting to snow. By supper time we weren't chuckling anymore....by bedtime we were scared......my daughter had no hydro for five day......we lost so many trees to that October snow storm.
2 people like this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
9 Oct 16
In six months I'll be prepar d to tell you exactly what kind of winter we've had. Right now I'm enjoying the beautiful weather we've been experiencing.
2 people like this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
10 Oct 16
We can be snug in the house. My husband can walk to work...I don't need to go anywhere.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (502189)
• Italy
10 Oct 16
@Morleyhunt I only need to go out to buy food, more or less once a week.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
10 Oct 16
@LadyDuck as a rule, that's all I get, but if we are snowed in the day before my weekly grocery trip, it could cause some problems.
2 people like this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
10 Oct 16
We've lived in this house, on and off for sixteen years. I have never seen the squirrels collect the nuts from the branches. I'm not sure what to expect this winter.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
9 Oct 16
Please not early......I keep hoping that we don't get a bad winter, but I have this feeling that I'll be writing about snow, wind, ice and bitter cold in the next few months.
Rather than spend time worrying, I'm trying to enjoy each beautiful autumn day as it comes.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (381760)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Oct 16
@Morleyhunt That's the best way. We're going away for the rest of the month. Perhaps when we return we won't need to light the fire any more. That would be nice.
2 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
10 Oct 16
ya nearly 'd me convinced to move to yer neck 'f the woods 'til ya wrote 'bout that 'very cold, snowy winter'. i think critters know such's comin' 'n tend to gather what they can. perhaps 'tis a sign there's gonna be a heavy freeze earlier'n the norm?
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
12 Oct 16
@Morleyhunt mercy, sounds like y'all's weather 'tis 'bout 's predictable's ours. we've'd thunderboomers with large hail'n january....'n snow'n june, lol. i've my fingers crossed we'll make't 'til 't least the end'f this month 'fore a frost hits.
the hubs's still workin' to get that greenhouse he started ready...'n we all know how prompt he 'tis 'bout that sorta thingy, lol. if'n such aint so by the end 'f this week, i'll be cleanin' out the sewin' room/back porch 'n part 'f the livin' room 'n haulin' all the tender plants indoors.
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
12 Oct 16
@crazyhorseladycx I brought one tender plant inside....the r we are on the own....I'm looking forward to having a 'real' sewing room again in a couple of weeks....no plants are taking over.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
11 Oct 16
No. It would be normal to get a good frost by mid October. We've had frost in late August before. So far some areas had their first light frost last night.
1 person likes this
@Freelanzer (10782)
• Canada
9 Oct 16
The squirrels do seem in a hurry to gather their winter fare, could be something there.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
9 Oct 16
Last year, the squirrels were obese by the time 'winter' arrived. They kept eating and the snow and super cold weather simply never appeared. Somehow I have a feeling that this winter will be different.
2 people like this
@jennyjoy (1957)
• Bangalore, India
9 Oct 16
Animals sense trouble and danger well before it happens.The squirrels are storing up food for a clod winter.
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
9 Oct 16
@jennyjoy so far the weather is still warmer than usual. We love close to the Great Lakes. Lake Erie is much warmer than usual. This means that as the weather cools we will likely get a lot more snow, it will take longer for the lake surface to freeze over. Once the lake is frozen the snow machine is turned off.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
9 Oct 16
This is what I'm concerned about. The conditions are perfect for us to get a lot of snow this winter.
1 person likes this
@jennyjoy (1957)
• Bangalore, India
9 Oct 16
@Morleyhunt Is it earlier than usual too? "A lot of snow" sounds scary to me.
