Archives: Animals

When these husky rodents cease hibernation and emerge from their 2 to 5 foot deep burrows, spring has supposedly arrived. Found in the northern half of the United States, the animals are commonly called woodchucks or groundhogs in the East, marmots in the West. They’re stocky and brown-coated, 16 to 20 inches long, with a … Read more

Also known as meadow mice or meadow voles, these small, typically nocturnal rodents have gray to brown fur and strong, chisel-like teeth. Voles grow to about 7 inches long. They nest in shallow underground burrows or live above ground in dense vegetation or leaf mulches; they sometimes take over abandoned mole tunnels. Narrow surface trails … Read more

Both ground squirrels and tree squirrels can be troublesome in gardens. They will eat nuts, berries, green leaves, and other plants in gardens and surrounding areas. Ground squirrels live under ground and come up to eat. Tree squirrels live in trees, on branches or may end up in your attic or roof crawl space. The … Read more

Snakes are elongated legless cold-blooded carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes, that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. All snakes are strictly carnivorous, eating small animals including lizards, other snakes, small mammals, birds, eggs, fish, snails or insects. Because snakes cannot bite or tear their food to … Read more

Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul-smelling odor. General appearance ranges from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored some may be white. Skunks are omnivorous, eating both plant and animal material. They will eat insects and larvae, earthworms, small rodents, some reptiles, … Read more

Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Rats are typically distinguished from mice by their size; rats are generally large rodents, while mice are generally small rodents. They are opportunistic survivors and often live with and near humans and are also linked to the spread of contagious animal pathogens that may result in livestock diseases such … Read more

Dexterous of paw and hearty of appetite, this ring-tailed, masked marauder strikes at night. An excellent climber, it’s omnivorous, dining on plants, insect, and snails. Raccoons are usually solitary except when mating and raising young.

Throughout the year, gardens are subject to invasion by various species of hares (jackrabbits) and true rabbits (cottontails, brush rabbits, and related types). True rabbits, which give birth to blind, hairless young, usually dig their own shallow burrows or occupy those abandoned by other animals. Hares live above ground: their offspring are born with fur … Read more

If you see a plant wiggle, then disappear below ground, or if you notice a fan-shaped mound of soil blocked with a plug of earth, you know a pocket gopher is at work. Primarily found west of the Mississippi, these little rodents can ravage gardens. The animals are brown-furred and 6 to 12 inches long, … Read more

Ridges formed in soft, moist earth and volcano-shaped mounds of finely pulverized soil with holes in the center are sure signs of a mole invasion. These pests are insectivores, not rodents; they don’t go after plants as food, but damage them while tunneling for insects and earthworms. About 5 to 7 inches long, moles have … Read more