squirrel eats tomato

I've figured out why I have so few tomatoes this year. Unfortunately, I could put up chicken wire to keep a rabbit out, but there's not much that will keep a squirrel out of the garden.

The poor squirrel was sad to drop his pretty tomato from the fence post. After the last photo above, he went down, out of my sight and I suppose found it and finished it off.

stone wall

I was trying to catch (photographically) two red squirrels that were running up and down this stone wall yesterday. But I couldn't do it. They are fast and shy. So this is just a stone wall photo.

Its another sign of spring that the squirrels are "playing tag". Actually its the squirrel mating season and their antics are wild.

This could be a phenologism to note: plant onion seeds when the squirrels begin chasing.

Other spring signs now are the chickadees have begun singing spring songs, the fur is on the pussy willows, and snow drop buds have emerged.

Tomorrow our area is expecting snow. Our lovely bare ground will be covered with a foot of new snow it seems. Oh well... The kids are hoping for a snow day.

gray squirrel

My backyard wildlife.

squirrel with a nut

© Skippy's Vegetable Garden

flying squirrel

This is not really a vegetable gardening topic, but I wanted to share these fantastic photos my dad took of the current occupant of the bird house in his backyard. The critter is a northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus). Very cute! She has a whole family in a house that wrens usually use.

garden birds (Hortus Aves)

more squirrel trouble

Here's another item the squirrles like: Begonia tubers. They dug up many of my tubers and nibbled on them. I recovered all but one. The rest I repotted and covered securely!

happy squirrel

This squirrel thought it was really nice of me to scatter winter rye seed for him. He digs little holes all through the garden to get at the big juicy seeds. He doesn't seem to mind that big metal thing there either. "Scarecrow? I'm not a crow!" When he's done the sparrows take over the feast. This happens every year. Usually I get a good winter rye cover crop to come up even with all the critters.