Black walnuts

My gardening companion collected LOTS of green-husked black walnuts a couple of weeks ago. He said that he'd crack them on our driveway (hmm, ancient black asphalt?)

They sat in a ceramic dish on the dining table for some time, until some were showing sign of mold, when I banished them to outside the kitchen door.

black walnuts ready to be predated

After quite a bit of rain, the dish filled up with water, and the husks darkened and started decomposing.

And the squirrels discovered the dish and started recovering the nuts.  Way cool!

We're down to maybe one or two black walnut 'nuts' to be recovered today.

Squirrel herbivory

We think about Eastern gray squirrels eating nuts, mushrooms, and berries.  But I wouldn't put them on the top of my 'eating greens' list.

But, first the collard transplants disappeared, then the broccoli, and then the red cabbage.  Hmmrph....  I was thinking an errant woodchuck might be selectively browsing, but s/he skipped the cilantro in one of my containers (a woodchuck favorite), so I was puzzled.

A greens-loving squirrel

At home for lunch, I caught the culprit in action.  First, s/he investigated the (sorry) remnants of the collards and broccoli, and then started investigating the adjoining mustard bed.  And, s/he started chewing.  Hmmrph.  My Mr. McGregor instincts had me snapping a quick couple of shots, before I ran out to show him/her away!

A pair of squirrels

There's a 'squirrel tail' tree in the Garden (where I work). Apparently an elderly or ill squirrel crawled into a favorite hole, leaving only an emergent tail to mark a final resting place.

But looking for a red-shouldered hawk nest nearby (the squirrel tail tree was a landmark), I saw a pair of squirrels scampering into a hole higher up in the tree.

They poked their heads out enough for some decent photos.

It was nice to see squirrels taking advantage of cavities in trees, for nesting spots.

A mama squirrel relocating her family?

We saw something we'd never seen before this morning - a squirrel with a largish youngster held on the scruff of its neck scampering through the foliage above us. We were on the back road in the Garden, near the nature trail through the oak-hickory forest (the Heusel Nature Trail) when we spotted her.

We had our binoculars, so had a good look as she leaped from tree to tree carrying her 'cargo.' There was lots of chattering going on nearby, perhaps fussing at the disturbance.

A web search found (LOTS of) interesting information about Eastern Gray Squirrels: mama squirrels are VERY protective of their offspring and, if feeling threatened, will move their babies to another drey. Apparently, gray squirrels have (usually) at least three dreys, and maybe a cavity or bird box, in addition.

Eastern Gray Squirrels breed twice a year, in mid-winter and in early summer. We probably saw a youngster borne in September, but one that will overwinter with Mom until spring. It takes a long time for squirrels to be weaned (10-12 weeks), and almost nine months until they're full-grown.

Of course, we just had binoculars, and no camera, this morning. But the photos of nest-building last weekend in an earlier post are fun, too.

Eastern Gray Squirrels and a winter drey

Activity in a large oak tree caught our eye this afternoon.

A clump of leaves, supported by dead English ivy vines was being visited by Eastern Gray squirrels with mouthfuls of leaves.

They dove into the drey (scientific talk for squirrel nests) repeatedly, moving around leaves.

It must still be early in the process, as the nest isn't that large, as of yet. The two-some, maybe a pair, maybe siblings, continued to scamper around the nest and up in the tree together.

Radicchio and squirrels

It was a lovely day today, and as I returned home from work, I made the rounds, checking on everything (that I've got behind on).

I've been enjoying radicchio becoming red and colorful. I sowed seeds (of heading radicchio) sometime in mid-summer, and transplanted some of the seedlings to the main vegetable garden in early fall. They're coloring up beautifully, and I've just been thinking about what I should 'do' with them. High-heat roasting. Grilling? Probably not, since it involves charcoal lighting in our grill.

But much to my amazement (I guess I shouldn't be surprised based on the radicchio-loving herbivorous tendencies that I've previously observed), there were leaves gone from one of the clumps that I've been observing. Bah, humbug.

I was looking forward to enjoying their winter color for some time, until (much) colder weather (in the future) had mellowed bitterness in the leaves.

A herbivorous squirrel

Squirrels are (pesky) herbivores for North American gardeners at times. They dig (often in our flower pots), but also all over the garden; they scamper along fences, visit porches, and (in the bad old days, prior to the expensive gutter system, ran around in our attic).

I've been bemused by their radicchio-eating habits (at least by females), and there are current signs of interest, based on evidence, but I was amazed by this porch-visiting Eastern Gray Squirrel. We've had plenty of munching evidence in the past, but this was flagrant.

S/he was snagging leaves of a Boston fern on the porch, and sitting on the railing, as s/he enjoying eating it. A Boston fern? Who knew?