Where are all the Squirrels?

I have a live oak in my front yard. It was just a sapling when I moved in in 1994. Now it is huge, and it provides good shade for the house and the lawn. In fact, during this drought, my yard had taken comfort in the shade, and my grass is not nearly as burned as my neighbors who have no trees in their yards.

That being said, it appears that we have a plethora of acorns this year.  We always have acorns. However, this year, they are multiplying like the Jews in the land of Canaan. We sweep the driveway, and get bonged on the head with the falling nuts. The ground is covered, maybe 2-3 inches deep in acorns. My hubby says walking on the lawn is like walking on marbles. Where are the squirrels?

I know that the tree provides the preponderance of their winter store of food. I remember after Hurricane Ike, we were concerned about the squirrels in winter, as the storm had ripped the acorns off the trees and had scattered them abroad. We were wondering if they would have enough food for the winter. We did see the squirrels that year, and we have had squirrels every year since then.

Where are they now? I am sure that they must have some sort of furry equivalent of a tote bag, and they need to gather up these acorns for the frosty time to come. As it is, the cars drive over what is in the driveway, so those are not good for storage. What is in the grass is getting mashed into the dirt/sod. I want to take the rake and remove the acorns from the lawn to preserve the grass, but what to do with them then? I do not want to deprive the squirrels of the grocery delivery from my oak; however, the squirrels are not shopping.

Hubby wants to pick them up and take them to the deer lease. I am OK with that, as they will still be food for the furry critters. However, what will my own squirrels do?  Where are they? Did they take off for someplace less drought-stricken? I know they don’t do the equivalent of ‘flying south for the winter,’ but I am not seeing them in the trees, or using the cross beam of my fence as their personal runway, or taking a sip from the bird bath as is their usual wont. Will they return when the weather becomes colder and the rains fall once again? If they do, will they starve because we have given the deer their acorns?

Obviously, I have no idea what to do. What would you do? Does anyone know what has happened to the squirrels?

Until next time,

Polly

  • Stephen Hale says:

    They all went to Washington to join the rest of their family. They are not storing for the winter because they are getting their stimulus acorns from those nutty demacrooks for their acorn entitlement, but winter I’d coming, and those demacrooks won’t be around to do the hand-outs. Mr. Squirrel will then be dead.

  • EmilyWoods says:

    They are down at my house- taunting my dogs hopping back and forth from the pecan bearing tree to my acorn bearing tree. Perhaps I can wrestle some up and bring them down!