There are several
different squirrels that can be of concern to the home
gardener. In most areas, the most common types are the
fox and the gray squirrels. These are the largest
squirrels to be found in the yard. They store their food
by burying it in the ground. These are the squirrels you
see digging in your flower beds and borders.
Another group are the red
squirrels. These are smaller than the others and are
"red" in color. They are very fast critters who zoom
around in the trees. Red squirrels have the habit of
having a place in a hollow tree or in the house where
they store their food supply.
Other, even smaller
critters are the thirteen lined ground squirrel. As the
name implies, the 13-lined squirrel has 13 lines, some
spotted, which run from their head to their rumps.
They are commonly
confused with the chipmunk which have five dark brown
stripes with a light one in between the outer four. Two
light and three dark stripes also run above and below
each eye of the chipmunk.
