Squirrel Sighting

I saw this red squirrel the other day feasting on maple seeds in my back yard. When I first saw her she was facing me I could tell she was already pregnant. She would stand on one limb and reach up to another limb to gather seeds for her lunch. Unfortunately, by the time I had gotten my camera she had realized there were plenty of seeds much easier to reach.

Squirrels will eat just about anything, I had always believed they were vegetarians but doing some reading they also eat meat. A few years ago we had a drought here in Indiana, for water they decided to eat the tomatoes my neighbor and I were growing for the moisture inside. Ever since then, they watch the tomato plants as closely as I do for that first red tomato of the season. They must have decided they really liked tomatoes because they normally get the first one.

She continued eating for quiet awhile as I hope she would stand back up and expose here stomach again, she never did. She ate quiet a bit, but then again, she is eating for 3 or 4 counting the kittens she is expecting. In a few months we'll be entertained with young ones playing chase in the backyard trees.

I eventually walked down to get a better picture of here and she went into hide mode. Getting just as close to the limb as she could hoping I couldn't see her. In this photo you can see her belly protruding over both sides of the limb.

According to National Geographic [1] there are over 200 different species of squirrels worldwide. In Indiana we typically see red and grey tree squirrels as well as ground squirrels. In northwest Ohio I have seen squirrels that are solid black. They probably exists elsewhere, but this is the only place I have ever seen them.

Although they can be a nuisance, for the most part they are harmless and fun to watch. Unfortunately for some of them, my dogs have come to think of them as fresh dog treats.