This little squirrel came up to me after last week's first atmospheric river. She looked right into my eyes, stood up on her hind legs, and chattered away, obviously very upset. It was as if she was explaining to me that her burrow had become flooded, her stored acorns had washed away, and she wanted to convey how dangerous it had been. She used her paws a lot, and seemed traumatized.
The Native Americans teach that squirrels warn others of impending danger. They are admired for their stockpiling skills. Many of these creatures are swept away during floods. How frightening it must have been for her with those huge gusts of wind. The force would have been terrifying. I panicked, just taking the dogs out to go potty. She acted like she knew me, as if I were part of her family.
Her snowy white stomach is so beautiful, and her tail is warm and bushy. I'm sure it brings her comfort when she's sleeping. The past couple of days she has been religiously gathering more acorns. I am glad that I have been focusing on taking care of the oaks and pines. Squirrels eat the pine nuts inside pinecones for protein.
My squirrels have been burying every peanut I put out for them! But they will gobble down the sunflower seeds. I guess they don't bury seeds? Once my husband was sitting on our porch, and a squirrel came up to him and dropped one of my cherry tomatoes next to him. We laughed, thinking it was saying that it will trade the tomato for a peanut. Andrea
ReplyDeleteThat is such a cute story, Andrea. They are such expressive animals. They are so busy and fast...
ReplyDeleteThat's just wonderful how the squirrel came to communicate her experience with you! You seem to have an affinity for nature and animals. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bless. I love being outside with them. They treat me like I'm the mother. (Not just of the dogs, but of all the animals.) I think the wildlife observe us at times when we don't even see them.
DeleteIt must have been awful for the poor little creature. I'm glad there's enough food for her at the moment. xx
ReplyDeleteI hope there is, Joy. She looks healthy. I just felt sorry for her; she was so upset and emotional.
DeleteWhat a beautiful little creature. The adverse weather conditions must be terrifying but at least she has a source of food.
ReplyDeleteYes, isn't she gorgeous, PP? She has been taking the acorns that the woodpeckers stored in the pine trees, and they are furious. They have been dive bombing her.
DeleteThe local squirrels pinch all my flower bulbs but they leave walnuts in the pots. There must be a tree close by.
ReplyDeleteOh...you're probably right, Cherie. They munched my dahlias down to the ground. I find if I plant irises, they leave those alone.
DeleteSquirrels are fun to watch. We have ground squirrels here which do serious damage to the hillsides with their burrowing. I often wonder how the wildlife is doing during hard rain storms. Andrea-your story made me smile!
ReplyDeleteI hope they are safe underground, Anita. These squirrels are up in the trees and are very agile. The coyotes hunt them at night. Their lives are not easy.
ReplyDeleteSquirrels are so lovely. We don't have them in New Zealand. Here, a particular small bird foretells that someone is going to be Passing Over. Taking head of Native knowledge is always a boon.
ReplyDeleteThey are, ratnamurti. I love all the wildlife you have there in New Zealand and Oz.
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