The air snaps, leaves twirl like ballerinas in the wind, and the squirrels are busy filling up their larders for the coming winter.
Did you know that grey squirrels only recover 25 to 40 percent of the nuts they stash away? That's an astonishingly low rate if you ask me. On the other hand, they are great gardeners, planting everything from sunflower seeds to walnuts in our backyard. Who needs humans to plant trees when you've got grey squirrels? The trouble is, they don't bother to ask me where to plant them.
Come spring, there will be a hodgepodge of everything scattered in our bushes. The walnuts are especially irksome because they grow fast and are hard to get out. The squirrels carry them long distances from the back 40 just to bury them in the hydrangeas in the front yard.
I swear they are doing this on purpose just to irritate me. The walnuts seem to sprout overnight and before you know it, they're three feet tall and sticking out like sore thumbs.
Of course, grey squirrels bring out ambivalent feelings in a lot of people. If you feed birds, they are at the top of the most wanted list by the FBSI (Federal Bureau of Squirrel Investigations) whose motto is "guilty until proven innocent."
On the other hand, if you are bored and have time on your hands, you can always construct elaborate obstacle courses to keep the rascals from your black gold (aka sunflower seeds in bird feeder parlance).
I have to admit though, I have a soft spot for red squirrels. If you have conifers like pines and spruces, there's a chance you may have them. Cone seeds are some of their favorite foods though they eat a variety of other things including nuts, berries, tree buds and even bird eggs. In fact, they cut down green cones to make sure the seeds are still in them.