Voles

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 usually run between each animal’s nest and its food sources.

Though voles can climb, they rarely venture more than 2 feet off the ground, more typically feeding at or just below soil level. Vole populations rise and fall cyclically; when the numbers soar, the creatures are especially trouble- some in gardens.