Marna & burn, that is soooo cool that your peanut plants have gotten as large as they have!! I, also was wondering about that yellow bloom in the pic.
I really like those peanut rings, but like you, burn, I feel that they're too expensive to keep filled. We feed so many birds and critters that it's hard enough keeping up with all the food they eat.
Wildlife: Squirrel Pics Vol. 17
The yellow flower is the flower of the peanut plant. I have pulled them up at various times and have had numerous peanuts on the roots.
Hey all...I've been traveling around Florida all last month in our camper and while up in the panhandle of Florida we stopped for a few days in Sopchoppy, Florida on the Ochlockonee River...and there were white squirrels there! You know I just had to get photos of them for you all. They were obviously fed by humans, since they would come right up to us. I even fell asleep in my chair one day reading my book and awoke to a grey squirrel walking on me...never have I had a squirrel climb up on me.
The last photo the little guy actually jumped up on my bike while I was talking to it all sweet and cute.
Wow! Such beauties! Love them, I am not sure which is my favorite.
Way cute!!! White squirrels!!!!
Still haven't seen my squirrel but neighbors say they've seen it around. Guess my dogs scared it away. Bunnies still show up even though the dogs have chased them out.
Peanuts rings...inventive!!! Here I am making it easy by just putting peanuts on a tray :o)
Guess they need to be amused or have to work at it ... Like a puzzle they become addicted too!
Am beat...spent the afternoon lopping low hanging branches on the oak and gathering acorns. Got three big tubs full!!! Going to take them to the ranch for the deer.
Up here we have squirrels that like to show off their talents. Take a look at this photo!
Acrobatic, look ma, no hands!!! We have lost several to the street in the last two weeks. My feeder is full of nuts....makes me sad.
The Great Peanut Crop of 2012!
Wow! They did grow! Better save them, the price is up! haha
This is peanut, she (I'm pretty sure a she) follows me all over my garden, a young squirrel I've always talked to in the garden since she was itty bitty. Now we are pals and I'll find peanut right by my side while I work in the garden. The last photo notice the holding up of the one foot. She always does that when I talk to her. So cute.
Awwwwwwwwww, sunkissed, Peanut is adorable. Love the one holding her foot up.
Oh My Gosh . . .It has been soooo long since I've been on DG for more than a few seconds!
There are so many incredible pics and comments that I'm going to have to go back and look at, although I did just quickly spot Marna's Peanut Crop and Sunkissed's adorable Squirrel buddy named "Peanut"!! But I have so much catching up to do.
Anyway, I was watching some of our Squirrels "Parade" up and down a couple of our trees to the Peanut Feeders my husband built when I noticed a new Squirrel nest ("Drey") in a tall evergreen tree. That sent me on an internet search to find pictures of the inside of a Squirrel Drey. Although I've seen many, I never get tired of looking at the intricate, cozy interiors. . .fascinating.
Anyway, I found this Beautiful video on YouTube from "BBC Earth". It shows a pregnant female adding finishing touches to her Drey, then shows the babies at different stages from infant till it's time to leave the nest.
Please take the time to watch the short video. It's so VERY, VERY CUTE!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh1HnMFolgw
That is pretty neat...I found another one that is an amazing story, a squirrel that was adopted by a cat and purrs like a kitten. About a week ago my husband found a dead squirrel in our garden, no signs of any trauma to it. Really made my heart drop wondering if it was peanut. But thank goodness like clock work peanut was waiting in the garden for me the next morning. This is the second time in our twenty years of living here to find a dead squirrel in the garden. So sad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHT1nAX46dM
Haven't quite figured out the sex of my peanut.
Do not want to know how and where to look to find out your sex of the peanut! LOL
I have not seen a squirrel around here in months! I went from six to nothing! The blue jays have taken all their nuts.
I figured with the super cold (high of 12 all week) and the snow....they would be out foraging!
Debbie
What? No new squirrel pics? Y'all must be snowed under???
I ended up nailing a wire basket to the trunk if my oak...about six feet off the ground. I had a ag of pecans so put a few pecans in it and they were gone when I got home fom work. Added more the next morning...same result. This went on for about a week before I ran out of pecans. I can't find any pecans in the stores now so resorted to peanuts. Guess this squirrel didn't like the switch. I put a whole apple and got to see the squirrel eating it when I drove up from work a few days ago! Okay, it's got me trained! I put out fruit, plain almonds - it loves those..no shells to gnaw through!
It also eats Cheetos, popcorn and crunch n munch! Sorry folks, I'd put those in a hanging tray for the birds and my neighbor told me he'd been watching the squirrel sitting in the hanging tray having a party while I was at work.
Am going to have to get a game camera set up since that squirrel prefers to forage for food while I earn my pay to buy it more food!!!!
~ Cat
I haven't seen a squirrel in months around here! The feeder hasn't been touched
since I filled it 3 months ago. An occasional blue jay steals the peanuts...but that's it.
Sure hope they come back soon!
Debbie
Sorry this post gets lost, but here's more of peanut, she is still by my side most days. We can actually call her now and she comes like a dog. She has a boyfriend now and who knows maybe little peanuts our in our future.
Great pictures! Oh little Peanuts will be such fun! And more trusting at early ages if she brings them around,.
Sun...your little Peanut is sooooo cute! I have enjoyed the photos you have posted. Was wondering what happened to her. So she's got a boyfriend. WooHoo!!! Sounds like you'll have a yard full of antics to watch soon enough. Keep her safe and hopefully you'll get to share family photos!!!
Unfortunately the squirrel that shows up in my yard darts off when I step outside or open the garage door if I'm home and get see it from the window. If I'm pulling into the driveway coming from work it scampers away as well. At least it knows where to come for food and water.
~ Cat
We have these little guys at the ranch. I think it is called Mexican Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus mexicanus). They stand up on their hind feet and make a trilling sound. They are cute but I no longer hold them in high regard as I saw one eating a baby bunny!!!
At first I thought it's a male and he's eating the female's pups because he wants her to go into heat. When I got closer I could make out a little bunny paw. It scampered into its burrow and I got up close and really saw it was a baby cotton tail. UGH!!! I figured they'd eat bugs and grubs but never thought they were carnivorous. I guess with the dratted drought we've been suffering for years it had to resort to another means of nourishment.
Interesting about the Mexican ground squirrel eating meat. I know ours don't eat meat, I sure wouldn't like that.
We have tons of squirrels living in our large oaks, but only Peanut comes up to us, the rest take off if we get close to them. Her boyfriend watches us give her nuts and he has come a bit closer to us, but we have to toss them to him. I don't know why Peanut decided to be so friendly,she will actually jump right up into my lap when I'm sitting outside now and sniff my pockets for nuts, it is a real hoot.
I've been keeping my bird tables well supplied, feeding the squirrels in the hope that if they aren't hungry they won't dig up my crocuses, but I also hang some bird feeders on the laundry line where the squirrels can't get to them - or so I thought. I looked out of the window recently to see an athletic grey squirrel climb the wall of the house, clamber onto the laundry line, grip the top and bottom wires each with one front foot and one rear foot, shuffle down the lines until he could jump down onto the suet cage, then leap onto the top of the first feeder, which contains peanuts. From the top, he could not reach the peanuts, and on the tray there was no room for him, so he went underneath and hung on with his rear claws, and ate each nut while hanging down head first.
With such ingenuity maybe we should look into training squirrels to sniff out contraband. The lengths they go to for peanuts!
At the moment, it's just the one squirrel that has figured out the route. I'm waiting to see if any of the others will learn from watching him (or her).
That guy looks like "Turbo Squirrel". I think he works out!
I think you're right, DebbiesDaisy, he has been working out! A few weeks ago, he was using the upside-down technique on another feeder that I had hung from the verandah at the back of the house. That feeder was easy to get onto, though, as he could just jump up to it from the verandah railing.
June I really don't think there is anyway to keep the squirrels out of the bird feeders...they really are pretty clever when it comes to finding a way to get the seed. My husband always thinks he has outwitted them, and yet they always end up on that bird feeder. ☺
I do have to admit though, they can put on quite an entertaining show trying to get to the feeders.
I agree, sunkissed! I've left the feeder in place so I can watch the acrobat go through his moves.
I gave up trying to keep them out long ago. I rescued a baby that had fallen down our chimney, and fell in love.....decided they all need to
eat too and food is scarce for them also certain times of the year.
SO, if you can't beat'um ...feed'um! lol Since I now put some on the ground or the actual squirrel feeder...they don't mess with the bird ones
as much.
Debbie
Debbie,
That's what i try to do too. I think it works out pretty well. And they are pretty cute so as long as they don't start chewing on the house, then I'm happy.
Peanut knows I have nuts in my pockets. She is climbing up my hammock stand.
She is so darn cute! Still nothing here. I miss them at my window begging for food.
Awwww....so sweet.
I haven't been around here for a while. Wow, you guys have posted so many great stories & pics! Looks like I have a lot of catching up to do!
We have Squirrels around all year. We feed everybody so they all come for the free buffet. We have birds, squirrels, deer, bunnies & sometimes opossum, raccoons and more. We even have a pair of Mallard ducks that have come every Spring for about 8 years now.
I have to sort through all my squirrel pics, but here's a few. I'll try to post some more in the coming days.
1) Mama Squirrel. Maybe we'll have some little ones soon.
2) The squirrels use our birdbaths as much as the birds do (to drink, not bathe). One of the birdbaths is heated in Winter so between the birds and squirrels it gets a lot of use (occasionally the deer even have a drink).
3) Climbing down a tree
Love those pictures! Mama is definitely feeding a crew!
I filled up my feeder, fresh peanuts....and they are almost empty. Shells everywhere...but yet to see a squirrel!!!
Nuts, it is nice that you have squirrels year round...I wasn't sure the cooler states did. Great shot of Mama there, I'd throw her a handful of peanuts.
I discovered we now have a bunny rabbit visiting our garden. I'm in a suburban neighborhood with houses all around me and starting to think my little 'Garden of Eden' is becoming all the critters 'Garden of Eden' also. I guess that is okay, except my ripening tomato was gone this morning and one on the ground, at least they left me one.
Debbie - By the looks of her in that pic she was probably a new mom. She reminded me of how cats & dogs look right after they give birth...kind of skinny with their tummies empty, yet still a little stretched out.
Those little guys can be sneaky, for sure. I'm sure they appreciate the peanuts you feed them, though. It is odd that you haven't seen the squirrels unless the woodpeckers are wiping out the peanuts?
sunkissed - Not only do we have them year 'round, but we have tons of them in the Winter. Word travels fast when you've got food out!
Believe me, that little Mama was standing there looking right at me cause she knew I had food.
Sounds like you might have to put some chicken wire or "hardware cloth" fencing around your veggies. I also spray all my plants that tend to get eaten with "Liquid Fence" and have for years with great success. Yes, it's safe for veggies, but you should start a couple weeks before the veggies are ready to pick so they don't smell like rotten eggs. Once the bunnies, or whoever it is gets trained, they'll leave your veggies alone.
I also recently read another idea. If you hang red Christmas ornaments before the tomatoes turn red, birds & bunnies get tired of trying to bite into the Christmas ornaments and leave the real ones alone. I've never tried it, though.
Well I'll be never heard the ornament theory before.
I do think I need to make a better place for my veggies in the fall, we are now heading into the heat and things take a break. I've been discussing it with the handyman of the house (the husband). He has some ideas up there in his head. ☺
BTW, sunkissed, "Peanuts" is absolutely adorable!!!!
Debbie, I just read the story you posted about the mama squirrel that rescued her baby...just warms my heart!!!