The weather has been unpredictable and unstable these past days. I have been spending so much time at the Windows, watching the wind move dead leaves around. I am amazed at how much needles from our Pine Needle Tree have fallen and spread all over the ground. Such a sight is a reminder that we need to cut down the Pine tree, which will give us additional room to extend our deck.
I have missed going outside and tending to my plants.
While preparing lunch early in the afternoon, I took a minute to look out the window to my surprise. Mr. Squirrel had made his way to my front yard in search of something. Food, I presume. Ground Squirrels eat insects such as ants, grasshoppers and termites. They also eat seeds and vegetation (especially in Summer). They have numerous burrows which are surrounded by hills of dirt in my next door neighbor’s backyard and they seems to come to my property for food. This is the first time they have come this close and we know something has to be done.
Hungry Squirrel in The Garden.
Together with the family, we watched FernGully: The Last Rainforest and FernGully 2: The Magical Rescue. We are looking forward to the release of Epic, tomorrow. Also on our movie list today were Ponyo, The Castle of Cagliostro, Howl’s Moving Castle, Porco Rosso, My Neighbor Totoro, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Spirited Away, Steamboy as well as other movies from the legendary anime film makers Hayao Miyazaki and Katsuhiro Otomo. These are awesome animated movies and a few of my kids favorite.
Can someone make this wind go away already? I surprised myself yelling. High Desert weather is erratic. We can never be too prepared as it’s difficult to tell what is coming our way. One minute it’s hot and the next your running towards coverage. There’s so much dust and dirt flying around. It’s such a lovely day and I wish we could all go outside, sit on the swings with a glass of sweet tea and be amused by our unwanted tenant, Mr. Ground Squirrel.
Fearless Ground Squirrel.
For a month now, we have failed at capturing a fearless ground Squirrel, which has been coming into our property regardless of the steps we’ve taken to keep it out. It doesn’t eat anything, just interested in digging holes (one of the holes goes all the way down to our storage basement). It climbs and sits in the motor area of one of our cars. It sits pretty in the shade and stares right back at us like it was our beloved pet or something. I have caught it standing on its hind legs looking all around like “yeah, this is the life and it’s all mine.” I laughed so hard a couple of days ago when my husband said it wasn’t a regular Squirrel. Ever since it made its appearance, we haven’t seen Rabbits or Gophers around. In a way it keeps anything else out, but we need to rid our yard of it.
In spite of the erratic weather, we are having fun indoors, watching movies and snacking on healthy treats.
Have you awaken in the morning to find dead plants around your home (plants which are leaning on their side). When we look around without seeing any evidence of burrowing rodents (such as the appearance of tunnels and exit holes with mounds of dirt around it), we simply put the blame on White Curl Grubs, which are known to eat plants roots and kill the whole plant in the process.
Pocket Gophers, Groundhogs, Badgers, Voles, Prairie Dogs, Muskrats, Moles, Ground Squirrel, just to name a few are to blame. These animals are highly active during Spring and live underground using tunnels to get to their food source. They damage lawns, plants, vegetable gardens, foundation walls and give an ugly appearance to landscaped areas. Muskrats can be found around swamps, lakes and streams with vegetation at close proximity. They feed on plant roots, stems, bulbs, grass, tender bark of young trees, nuts, seeds and fruits. Some feed on mussels, crustaceans, insects, fish, earthworms, snails and slugs.
For the past six years, we’ve only had to deal with Gophers mostly and Ground squirrels.
Ground Squirrel.
Ground squirrels are highly active during the day and thanks to sunny days and warm weather, we are constantly having uninvited guests. Fortunately for us and unfortunately for them, we wrapped chicken wire around our plants last years, protecting the plants we know for sure they love. Every now and then, I will catch a glimpse of a squirrel searching for food in the empty lot behind our Home.
Just like Yersinia Pseudotuberculosis in Rabbits which is transferable to Humans, Ground squirrels can harbor diseases harmful to humans such as bubonic plague which is transmitted to humans by fleas that the squirrels carry (killing about two-thirds of infected humans within 4 days without treatment). It is highly advised to use extreme caution when disposing a dead squirrel or notify public health officials.
Dead Pocket Gophers (2008-2010).
We spent our first three years in the High Desert hunting Pocket Gophers after they nearly destroyed all of our plants. We’ve seen a couple of holes in the backyard with mounds of dirt around them. This afternoon I found a hole around our Agapanthus plants and I used a shovel to destroy the hole. These vertebrates will destroy anything on their path while creating holes leading them to their desirable food source. They are also capable of destroying irrigation lines and buried utility cables which are not properly protected.
Click here and here to learn about trapping Gophers.
How Can You Control Rodents?
They are so many options available out there. We’ve tried Gopher Gassers, Gopher Probe and poisons, none of which worked. The best and only method which has worked for us is traps with snapping latch placed near an opening (the latch is triggered when the animal steps on the trap) as you can see on the picture above. Some of these traps can be purchased at your local hardware stores and they can be hand made as well.
How Can You Protect Your Plants?
Use Raised Garden Beds
Raise your Planters/Pots (using pedestals or whatever you can think of)
Use Chicken Wire around your most cherished plants
Use Chicken Wire to protect the base of your plants (the roots) before planting them
Regardless of which rodents you are dealing with, always remember to be cautious around them.
By JM Perez
