Agile and alert, Grey Squirrel remains active throughout the year. Chattering on tree branches, Grey Squirrel amuses people who watch her antics. What people do not know is that Grey Squirrel was a creature of the virgin forests of North America. She is one of the few Mammals who adapted to cities.
Grey Squirrel needs to eat every day even in the winter. Active at dawn, She searches for fruits and nuts or whatever is in season. In spring, She eats plant shoots. In winter, Grey Squirrel eats tree bark and nuts that She stored in the fall. She locates her stored nuts by smell. Any acorns that Grey Squirrel does not find will grow into trees for future squirrel homes.
Grey Squirrel is very expressive. She chatters and flicks her bushy tail to indicate her many moods. Relaxed, She lays on a thick tree branch with her tail hanging down. When Grey Squirrel is angry, her body becomes ramrod straight, and her tail flaps wildly. Her high voiced “Chee! Chee!” means “I AM annoyed with you!”
Grey Squirrel lives in the past, present, and future. In the summer, She also gathers nuts and acorns for the future. In the winter, Grey Squirrel looks for the nuts that She stored in the past. In the present, whatever season it is, She gathers nuts and acorns to eat today. Grey Squirrel lives in a tree sprouted from a nut that She buried and forgot about. Like Grey Squirrel, you can live in the past, present, and future.
Grey Squirrel’s Teachings Include:
“As far as our noblest hardwood forests are concerned, the animals, especially squirrels and jays, are our greatest and almost only benefactors. It is to them that we owe this gift. It is not in vain that the squirrels live in or about every forest tree, or hollow lot, and every wall and heap of stones.” -- Henry David Thoreau, American Essayist.
“To put it in a nutshell, Squirrel is the Boy Scout of the animal kingdom—always prepared. Its message is to be prepared, but not to go nuts with it.” Copyright” “Medicine Cards”, David Carson and Jamie Sams.
“It is probably no coincidence that squirrels (at least the gray variety) are found wherever humans live. Perhaps they are here to give us the message: “Don’t give up; lighten up.” Copyright: Beyond the Rainbow (Constance Barrett Sohodski).
According to Dr. George P. Butler, Sr., Grey Squirrel also teaches 'gathering versus hoarding'. Read more about Grey Squirrel at his site. Do not forget to use your back button to return to this site.
Purchase books on squirrels and other rodents from Amazon.com
Conservation Note: People brought Grey Squirrel to the United Kingdom and South Africa, where She does not belong. Consult the local animal authorities on how to control the Grey Squirrel population.
Grey Squirrel Photo courtesy of National Zoo, Washington D.C.
Picture of "Grey Squirrel" copyrighted by Mary Ann Sterling
Va. Carper
January 25, 2008