Sacrificial Squirrel

[e_moon60]

I think I've mentioned that the squirrels are all engaged in courtship rites, such as racing up and down trees after each other, making wild leaps in the air, etc.

Well, this afternoon one love-sick squirrel was apparently showing off near the transformer on the power pole and in a moment of lust-blinded stupidity managed to immolate himself on a

Comments

[galbinus_caeli]

Squirrels are kind of crazy across much of the country because the the acorn crop failed. For some reason oak trees across a big swath of country just didn't produce many acorns.

Those squirrels may not be horny, they might just be hungry.

[karenmtx]

I've also observed squirrels in my back yard with way too much energy this fall. They usually go after the bird feeder and bird bath for food and water, lots of fun to watch for the cat and I.

[galbinus_caeli]

My neighborhood seems to have avoided this. Our oak trees have dropped a good number of acorns. Not as much as last year, it seems to me, but last year was a pretty crazy year. But from what I have read, some areas apparently have no acorns at all.

[jryson]

I think acorns may be biennial? So if you had a bunch last year you you don't gat as many this year?

[e_moon60]

I remember reading somewhere (probably a tree book) that one large part of the oak family has acorns every year and another part tends to have alternate-year crops, but not always. I can't remember if it's the white oaks or the red oaks that alternate years. And any given "alternating" oak may be on a different schedule than the others.

[galbinus_caeli]

Oaks do alternate between a heavy crop and a light crop. That may be all I am seeing around here.

[e_moon60]

We had a good crop of bur oak (very large) acorns this year...and there are three squirrels frolicking in the yard at the moment, whose interest in continuing the future of the species is being made...clear. We had a solid half hour of acrobatics before one of them finally went to the feeder station to eat, so I don't think it's hunger fueling the idiocy. At least not in this yard.

[galbinus_caeli]

Makes sense. And we need all those baby squirrels to convert acorns into predator kibble.