We have squirrel friends named Annie and Billy. They were named after a Nature special. I don’t have any fruit trees, but they do raid the bird feeders. I gave up on trying to keep them away so I bought them a picnic table and dried corn cobs. Your daughter’s picture is amazing. She captured the movement perfectly.
The image of squirrels running around, scattering nuts, and telling all their friends about the free food is so funny. This reminds me of the way my golden retriever fetches multiple toys from his basket, plays with a few, and then leaves them all strewn over the floor . . . like a little kid. :) Funny how some creatures make order and beauty out of chaos, like oysters creating pearls, birds creating nests, and beavers making dams, and others seem to scatter, ruin, and trample.
I can relate to every word. We have a walnut tree on our front lawn, with a lovely tree swing that many children have enjoyed. So much debris falls from the tree. The walnuts plop down on the driveway without warning and can easily stain your hands or your shoes. It is a nuisance, but it is beautiful. The squirrels feast on the walnuts and leave the soft shells everywhere. It is both/and just like your story...just like us.
Oh, my! I feel that way about magpies here in MT. If we want any cherries at all we have to put netting over our trees or the magpies eat them all before they're ripe! Or they peck at just enough of our apples to make them inedible, then leave them hanging deceptively from the trees. Who knew there was such waste in the wild? (Though I'd be curious to know if pecans need that outer shell broken and the seed inside intact in order to propogate. I have no idea how pecans work.)
How do you get a bet over larger trees? Of course, I suppose for an orchard, one keeps the trees smaller. To get most of our pecans we have to wait for them to fall. Not sure about their propagation—they have the green out part that shrivels, splits, and browns as they ripen, then an inner shell. For all the ones that end up on or in the ground, it seems very few end up as seedlings, but then they fall where we mow….
Our trees stay pretty small. They're dwarf cherry trees and we have a short growing season, so netting them isn't too bad. I have no idea if netting is a thing that would work against squirrels, or if that's even something to do for pecans.
We have squirrel friends named Annie and Billy. They were named after a Nature special. I don’t have any fruit trees, but they do raid the bird feeders. I gave up on trying to keep them away so I bought them a picnic table and dried corn cobs. Your daughter’s picture is amazing. She captured the movement perfectly.
Thanks, Jennifer! I’ll tell Ev!
And somehow I managed to put our bird feeder where the squirrels can’t reach it—which considering their range still amazes me.
What a nutty story!
The image of squirrels running around, scattering nuts, and telling all their friends about the free food is so funny. This reminds me of the way my golden retriever fetches multiple toys from his basket, plays with a few, and then leaves them all strewn over the floor . . . like a little kid. :) Funny how some creatures make order and beauty out of chaos, like oysters creating pearls, birds creating nests, and beavers making dams, and others seem to scatter, ruin, and trample.
So true!
Love everything about that ink drawing. Your daughter captured that perfectly!
Thanks Abigail! I’ll tell her!
I can relate to every word. We have a walnut tree on our front lawn, with a lovely tree swing that many children have enjoyed. So much debris falls from the tree. The walnuts plop down on the driveway without warning and can easily stain your hands or your shoes. It is a nuisance, but it is beautiful. The squirrels feast on the walnuts and leave the soft shells everywhere. It is both/and just like your story...just like us.
Walnuts are definitely messier than pecans. That’s one thing I’m thankful for—we don’t get the walnut staining!
Oh, my! I feel that way about magpies here in MT. If we want any cherries at all we have to put netting over our trees or the magpies eat them all before they're ripe! Or they peck at just enough of our apples to make them inedible, then leave them hanging deceptively from the trees. Who knew there was such waste in the wild? (Though I'd be curious to know if pecans need that outer shell broken and the seed inside intact in order to propogate. I have no idea how pecans work.)
The internet tells me that's not how pecans work. You might just have wasteful squirrels. 😆
Pretty much! 😆
You can tell they aren’t too worried about food for the winter around here!
How do you get a bet over larger trees? Of course, I suppose for an orchard, one keeps the trees smaller. To get most of our pecans we have to wait for them to fall. Not sure about their propagation—they have the green out part that shrivels, splits, and browns as they ripen, then an inner shell. For all the ones that end up on or in the ground, it seems very few end up as seedlings, but then they fall where we mow….
Our trees stay pretty small. They're dwarf cherry trees and we have a short growing season, so netting them isn't too bad. I have no idea if netting is a thing that would work against squirrels, or if that's even something to do for pecans.