LET’S BE CREATIVE: February 13, 2025

IF YOU SAY THE WORD SQUIRREL, most of us visualize the scampering gray squirrel of parks and woodlands. Both the gray and the red have generally the same body type, with the American red squirrel about half the length and a weight of only 8 ounces. Both are classified as tree squirrels that nest off the ground and in the trees.

In appearance, our red squirrel is distinct with a rusty reddish body and tail, and a white-to-cream stomach separated from the body color by a short black line. The large dark eyes are circled with white, and hair color can vary with the season, some darker than others. American red squirrels can be found here in New York and north throughout Canada, the Rockies, and southern Alaska.

They are cute little guys unless they gnaw through your siding or bird feeders with their strong, sharp front teeth. These grow continuously and they must chew and gnaw to keep them at a comfortable length. This is usually accomplished by dismembering spruce cones to extract the rich seeds. The dropped pieces of cones can pile up to form middens. They also like nuts, seeds, grains, flowers, berries, tree buds, and occasionally eggs, young birds and animals. Diet varies depending on the season, and they store food in several tree holes in case one is robbed or destroyed. A female establishes and defends a territory that produces enough food for herself and a family and selects several tree holes for nests. (more…)