Can you spot the squirrel in the tree?

Friday, November 1, 2024

The day before Halloween it was warm but windy, with gusts up to 27 mph. I didn't notice very many squirrels active on the ground. But I did spot a a squirrel holding on tightly to a tree that had already lost its leaves.

Can you find the squirrel in the tree shown below?

This is a fox squirrel, with it's front paws firmly wrapped around the tree trunk and its body pressed into the tree trunk. It wasn't making any noise and was holding very still. The wind was from the southwest, so mostly blowing from behind. Its intense posture made me think of the phrase, "Holding on for dear life"!

But tree squirrels are adapted to living outside, in all sorts of weather. So how do they withstand windy, rainy, and snowy weather? Although this fox squirrel didn't take covered shelter, trees are considered their safe place, protecting them from predators and usually wind and rain, especially when they are leafed out.  

• Their sharp claws, which allow them to easily scamper up and down trees, also allow them to dig into and hold onto tree trunks and branches, even when the trees are swaying in strong wind.
• They generally build what may look like flimsy leaf nests, but are actually quite solid structures, called dreys, made out of twigs, leaves and other materials layered together in the crook of a tree. They have several dreys that they rotate between. Once the leaves fall in the autumn months, it's much easier to see these nests.
• When it's lightly raining, their fluffy tail acts as an umbrella, getting wet itself but keeping the rest of the squirrel's body dry.
• When it's raining really hard, they do need to seek more protected shelter, like one of their dreys, a hole in a tree, or sometimes a human structure, to keep from getting too wet and chilled.
• On days when it's snowy, their insulated fur coats keep them warm and dry!

  A Fox squirrel on a non-windy day.