chipmunk Archives - The National Wildlife Federation Blog

Keeping the Peace Between Gardeners and Chipmunks

Roger Di Silvestro — Tue, 27 May 2014 18:10:51 +0000

When I first moved into one of Washington, D.C.’s Virginia suburbs, shrouded with heavy woodlands, I was thrilled by a little flash of energy that rocketed past me one day as I stepped from house to backyard. Was that a chipmunk?

It was.

Was I happy to see it?

You bet.

A chipmunk in Colordo sips a drink in a National Wildlife Photo Contest entry by Milos Tomajko.

The years have passed by since then, as they make a practice of doing, but I still get a thrill out of seeing chipmunks in my yard. I am especially pleased when one of them takes a position atop the highest point in the yard and stands there like the monarch of the mountains surveying its domain. Nothing is cuter to my eye than a chipmunk. I love it that the hair along the eastern chipmunk’s sides and back looks blue—I don’t see many blue mammals. I wish I could watch chipmunks at length and learn something about their lives, other than that they are very jumpy little creatures, bolting away at the slightest provocation. A habit, however, that probably serves well a creature that is food for practically every predator out there.

I didn’t know until recently that some gardeners don’t like them. Apparently, chipmunks sometimes eat bulbs and ornamental flowers. Personally, despite the pleasure I get from seeing blossoms in my yard, I would just as soon grow chipmunks as nonnative ornamental plants. As for native plants, they should be adapted to chipmunks, given that one of the little rodent’s most important ecological roles is the spreading of seeds and, therefore, the spreading of plants, including those that produce berries—a benefit for many species.

Chipmunks climb trees and shrubs when given a reason for doing so, such as a feast of berries. By eating berries, chipmunks help spread the seeds of food-producing bushes. Photo by Deanna Draudt.

Let’s chat a bit about chipmunks, about what they do and about what you can do to defend against them if they trouble your garden.

Chipmunk Basics

Evolution must favor chipmunks, because it has made 21 species of them in North America. All but one of those species belongs to the genus of western chipmunks. The remaining loner is the eastern chipmunk, the denizen of my backyard, found across much of the eastern and central United States and Canada.

As a rule, chipmunks live in woodlands throughout much of North America. Relatives of tree squirrels, prairie dogs and various other ground squirrels, they are the pipsqueaks of the squirrel family—about the size of a mouse. Western chipmunks tend to be smaller than eastern, about 2 ounces to the eastern’s 4.5.

Chipmunk Habitat

Immature forests and forest edges provide chipmunks with the shrubs, fallen logs and other items the rodents use for cover. Though they do climb trees in search of food, generally they forage on the ground for seeds, insects and other small edibles, including special fungi that live around tree roots and that are critical to tree survival. Chipmunks help to spread fungi within a forest, just as they help spread seeds.

A Georgia chipmunk with cheeks packed with seeds gathered at a garden feeder. Sometimes chipmunks will drop seeds into flower pots, leading to unexpected growth for gardeners. The habit is part of the rodent’s natural ecological role as a seed spreader. Photo by Barb Dunlap

Burrows and Foods

Active by day, chipmunks shelter at night in burrows they may dig as much as 12 feet long but generally only about 3 feet deep. At the end of the burrow lies a sleeping chamber furnished with soft plant material. Some burrows include side tunnels and secondary dens. Although chipmunks tend to fight off other chipmunks that show up in the immediate area around their burrow openings, they share feeding areas with a minimum of fisticuffs.

Seasonal Behavior

Chipmunks produce one or two litters yearly, and young are on their own within eight weeks. Mean life expectancy is 2.3 years. During summer and fall, the rodents store seeds in their sleeping dens for use as winter food. When temperatures drop, chipmunks go underground. They don’t indulge in the deep hibernation favored by woodchucks, but instead tend to wake up periodically for a snack. On warm winter days, they may even surface above ground.

Chipmunk Chatter

Chipmunks issue alarms calls when danger looms. Distinct calls indicate terrestrial predators and aerial predators, says Lisa Aschemeier, a biologist at Ohio’s Northwest State Community College who studies the animals. She has found that chipmunks also respond to the high-pitched alarm whistles of their relative the woodchuck, sometimes seeking cover after a woodchuck warning. Woodchucks, she says, pay less attention to chipmunk alarms, presumably because, at up to 12 pounds, they are so much bigger and need not fear as many predators as do chipmunks.

Woodchucks may not show much interest in chipmunk communications, but some bird species do. Chipmunks nosh on eggs and nestlings up to three days old when the opportunity arises. Particularly vulnerable to chipmunk attacks are veeries, a type of thrush that nests in shrubs up to 3 feet off the ground, and ovenbirds, which nest only on the ground. When these birds hear chipmunk calls, they sense danger. Kenneth Schmidt, a biologist at Texas Tech University who studies eastern chipmunks, says that veeries sometimes adjust the height of their nests in response to chipmunk calls. Both veeries and ovenbirds may shift their territories to avoid nesting within chipmunk range.

Fending Off Chipmunks

Like veeries, you, too, may want to take precautions against these cute little burrowers, especially if they have been snacking on your carefully planted bulbs. They can be discouraged without being killed, and here are some ways to do so:

Spray shrubs, other plants and the ground around bulbs with repellent, such as the anti-deer and anti-squirrel spray sold at garden shops. The spray will need frequent refreshment, so this approach could prove costly and time consuming, depending on the size of your garden.
Cover flower beds with quarter-inch wire mesh or hardware cloth, allowing the material to extend a foot beyond the flower bed on all sides. Cover the material with dirt if you want to hide it. When bulbs emerge, remove the mesh or cloth.
When planting bulbs in a bed, dig out the soil, line the bed with wire mesh or hardware cloth, refill with the soil, and add bulbs.
Keeping a gap between your garden beds and any surrounding woods will help limit chipmunk activity, because these woodland creatures prefer to avoid crossing open ground. Isolating your plantings from brush and wood piles also should help.

Adapted in part from “The Key to Chipmunk Chatter,” National Wildlife magazine, April/May 2012

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The post Keeping the Peace Between Gardeners and Chipmunks appeared first on The National Wildlife Federation Blog.

6 Excuses to Avoid Yard Work This Fall

Dani Tinker — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 17:05:00 +0000

They grow. They turn brilliant colors. They capture our hearts. Then they make a mess. Leaves can be a hassle, but put the rake down for a moment. It turns out, leaving the leaves in your yard is beneficial to both wildlife and the environment. Here are a few excuses to avoid garden cleanup.

1. Provide Habitat for Wildlife

Salamanders, frogs, toads, box turtles, invertebrates and a number of other species rely on leaf litter. The leaves provide cover and nest materials for many species. Some animals are just too shy for heavily landscaped gardens.

Box turtles are known to sleep, hibernate and travel in leaf litter.

2. Provide Nutrients for Organisms

Catering to the leaf litter helps maintain a healthy ecosystem in your yard. “Every resident of the leaf litter—or visitor to it—is connected to the food web in some way,” says Elizabeth Johnson, a program manager with the American Museum of Natural History’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation. Birds will also feed on the seed heads and stalks of native flowers through winter.

Millipedes are decomposers that live in the leaf litter of forests.

3. Reduce Waste

Yard debris are taken to a landfill and dumped, where layers of waste stall the process of decomposition. The Environmental Protection Agency reported that in 2011, yard trimmings accounted for 13.5% of solid waste (approximately 33 million tons). Don’t let your leaves be wasted, they have critical benefits to wildlife and your garden.

American toads use the leaf litter to hide and hibernate.

4. Increase Fertility of Your Soil

As plant material decomposes, nutrients are added to your soil. Composting and leaf mold piles allow for even more nutrients to develop, which can then be added to your garden. Leaving leaves also allows for greater water retention.

5. Reduce Pollution

Leaf blowers pollute. The trucks that haul yard debris pollute. The fertilizers used in place of natural nutrients pollute. The eco-friendly methods to dispose of your Autumn leaves, however, will eliminate these sources of pollution. Laziness never felt so good.

Chipmunks will often use leaves to build their nest.

6. Save Time

Imagine all the time you’ll save by not having to clear all the leaves from your yard. That time could be spent on other projects, like building an amphibian house, to still get active and relax outdoors. You don’t have to ditch the rake completely, you can use it to move leaves onto your flower beds or onto a compost or leaf mold pile.

Toads use the leaf litter to hide and hibernate.

How to Leave the Leaves

There is more than one way to ecologically handle leaves and other yard debris. Here are a few:

Leaf Mold: This is one of the easiest things to do with your dead leaves. Basically, pile them in a corner of your yard and let them decompose over time. It’s different than composting (see below) in that it is only leaves, no additional organic matter is added. Leaf mold improves soil structure and water retention. Learn the details and make leaf mold in your yard.
Composting: This practice reduces the amount of debris in landfills, while creating fertile new soil for your garden. Compost adds nutrients to your soil, and can be added to your garden in addition to the leaf mold. Learn how to compost with worms.
Save Up: Store excess leaves in paper bags until the spring and summer, when you have limited access to carbon-rich organic materials for compost.
Leave the Leaves: This can provide nutrients and protection to your garden. Plus, you have an excuse to avoid the work!
Share Leaves: You have a lot of trees, and too many leaves? That’s a good problem to have. Your neighbors, local farms, schools, campuses and gardens will add your leaves to their leaf mold or compost pile.
Build a Wildlife Brush Shelter: You can attract a variety of wildlife by creating a brush shelter. It’s easy to build and you’ll be supporting an abundance of wildlife in the process. Read more about the benefits of a brush shelter and how to build one.
Make Decorations: Create beautiful Autumn decorations for natural materials, like leaves.
Make Leaf Prints: Get some paint, collect your favorite leaves, and make leaf print arts and crafts.
Play: Your yard full of leaves can become an Autumn obstacle course or playground. Just pile and jump!

Newts and salamanders often take shelter in leaf litter. (Photos by Dani Tinker)

Become a Wildlife Gardener with National Wildlife Federation. It’s free and you’ll get great wildlife gardening tips and learn how to certify your garden as an official habitat.

Learn More!

Find out more about the benefits of fallen leaves in our on Leave the Leaves content series:

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Photo of the Day: Hungry Hungry Chipmunk

Rachel Faulkner — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 18:12:53 +0000

A chipmunk gathering food for its winter stockpile in Gebhard Woods State Park, Morris IL. Photo by Peggy Hanna.

This Photo of the Day was donated by a participant in the annual National Wildlife Photo Contest. See more photos or sign up for the 42nd Annual National Wildlife Photo Contest.

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Photo of the Day: Just Enjoying the View

Rachel Faulkner — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:26:02 +0000

On a hike to the top of Mt. Howard at Wallowa Lake in Oregon, Carla Hurlbert and her nephew spotted this chipmunk who appeared to be admiring the view while nibbling on some seeds. Photo by Carla Hurlbert.

Vote For Your Favorite

Check out more wildlife photos like this and vote for your favorites in the National Wildlife Photo Contest! Each week, four top vote-getters move onto the People’s Choice final round.

This Photo of the Day was donated by a participant in the annual National Wildlife Photo Contest. See more photos or sign up for the 42nd Annual National Wildlife Photo Contest.

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Photo of the Day: Chubby Chipmunk

Rachel Faulkner — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:30:49 +0000

A chipmunk was returning to its burrow with a mouth full of leaves and paused to stare cautiously at the camera before moving on. Photo by Vladimir Mikhaylov.

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In just a few easy steps, you can turn your backyard, balcony or even a patch of grass into habitat for wildlife.
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This Photo of the Day was donated by a participant in the annual National Wildlife Photo Contest. See more photos or sign up for the 42nd Annual National Wildlife Photo Contest.

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NOT Alvin and the Chipmunks: 10 Facts You May Not Know about the Real Rodents

Roger Di Silvestro — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:25:40 +0000

Christmas time, and our thoughts turn to—chipmunks. Yes, it is odd that a hibernating rodent would become associated with Christmas, but that is the miracle of radio and a hit song for Alvin and the Chipmunks back in 1958 (when they were known simply as The Chipmunks).

We’re not here to talk about those chipmunks, though. We’re here to take a look at 10 things you probably don’t know about chipmunks that neither sing nor star in films. Real chipmunks. Ten things.

Chipmunks are basically tiny squirrels (1 to 5 ounces) that have adapted to burrowing. Other members of the squirrel family (Sciuridae) include woodchucks, prairie dogs, various ground squirrels and, of course, tree squirrels.
North America is home to 21 chipmunk species, according to the Smithsonian Institution.
Chipmunks produce one or two litters a year. Young are on their own within eight weeks.
Chipmunks prefer forested areas and can climb trees, shrubs and…birdfeeders.
They eat various types of seeds as well as fungus, helping to spread the mycorrhizal fungi that live around tree roots and are critical to tree survival. Chipmunks also spread the seeds of trees and other plants.
Chipmunks aren’t particularly choosey about what they eat. Along with seeds and fungi they scarf grain, fruit, nuts, insects, worms, bird eggs and even nestling birds and baby mice. They probably don’t hunt for eggs and hatchlings, just eat them when they find them.
They might not sing like Alvin and the boys, but wild chipmunks do vocalize. Kenneth Schmidt, a biologist at Texas Tech University who studies eastern chipmunks, recognizes three chipmunk calls, “the chip, the deeper chuck, and the startle call.” The last is an alarm that warns of impending danger. Chipmunks will even make calls in a chorus composed of several of the little rodents—shades of Alvin. Simon and Theodore. Hear how chipmunks sound.
An eastern chipmunk in Masschusetts, photographed by Vladimir Mikhaylov, an NWF photo contest entrant, has packed its mouth with leaves for use in lining its nest.

Ground-nesting veeries and ovenbirds, Schmidt recently discovered, avoid setting up house in areas where they hear chipmunk squeaks, thus reducing the risk that the squirrels will eat the birds’ eggs and young. Chipmunks also listen in on the alarm calls of other species, says Lisa Aschemeier, a biologist at Ohio’s Northwest State Community College. She has found that chipmunks respond to the high-pitched alarm whistles of their relative the woodchuck, sometimes seeking cover after a woodchuck warning. Woodchucks, she says, pay less attention to chipmunk alarms, presumably because, at up to 12 pounds, they are so much bigger and need not fear as many predators as chipmunks do.
In autumn, chipmunks gather seeds and other foods for storage as a supply of winter food. Some species keep food in their burrows, which can be more than 10 feet in length.
Alvin and the Chipmunks are now more than 50 years old. Wild chipmunks, on average, live two to three years; captive specimens have lasted eight.

Bonus Item: Chipmunk Hibernation

A chipmunk makes use of a fallen tree. Photo by National Wildlife Contest entrant Heather Moore.

Chipmunks hibernate in winter, but they don’t sleep all the way through the season. They retreat to their burrows but wake every few days, raise their body temperatures to normal, feed on stored food rather than fat reserves, and urinate and defecate.

When chipmunks are in the deep sleep phase of hibernation, they may be very difficult to arouse. Their heart rate declines from about 350 beats per minute to perhaps 4. Body temperature may drop from 94 degrees F to whatever the temperature of the burrow is—as cold as 40 degrees F.

A new study has found that as winter temperature heats up because of global warming, chipmunks in warmer areas become less likely to hibernate in the coldest months. The research indicates that chipmunks that follow normal hibernation procedures enjoy a survival rate through winter of about 87 percent, while those that remain active because of warm winter weather are almost certain to die by spring. The scientist who made this discovery, Craig Frank of Fordham University, fears that this evidence could suggest dire
results for other hibernating species as climate warms.

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10 Amazing Slow-Motion Animal Videos

Anne Cissel — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:38:02 +0000

Wildlife sightings are often fleeting, leaving you wishing for more. If only there was a way to slow down time, to fully take in the majesty of the moment.

Thank goodness for YouTube! (Never thought I’d say that.) We’ve scoured the Internet and found these ten awesome slow-mo videos of wild animals.

1. Hungry Great White Shark

The movie Jaws gave this creature a bad reputation, but in reality Great White Sharks aren’t vicious man-eating beasts. The seal community may have a reason to complain, however. (Note: Definitely wait for the third clip of the shark breaching. It’s the best.)

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2. Adorable Chipmunk

New discovery: Cuteness increases as speed decreases. A chipmunk washing his face in slow-motion proves to be utterly compelling video.

(Note: We don’t advocate trying to hold a chipmunk, but this little guy is being held very gently.)

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3. Graceful Northern Goshawk

Watch this amazing bird fly through smaller and smaller holes in slow motion. This dexterity helps it dodge tree branches as it cruises through the forest.

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4. Blood-Sucking Mosquito

Watch its underbelly swell up and turn red. All I have to say is … AAAAAH!

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5. Magestic Eagle Owl Coming Right At You

This is the video we saw first that inspired this blog post. Pure awesomeness.

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6. Hopping Frog

The grainy, academic quality to this video makes it special in an old-school way. Also, don’t you wish you could jump like that?

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7. Hunting Cheetah

This is cool, but if you have a weak stomach you might want to press stop before the 1 minute, 20 second mark. Just a warning.

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8. Fly-Eating Damsel Fly

This guy accidentally filmed a big bug eating a little bug. I’m just amazed that he noticed!

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9. Thirsty Hummingbird

If you watch this video too long, you will definitely fall into a hypnotic state.

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10. Fastest Man Alive

Hey — humans are animals, too! But watching Usain Bolt run this 100-meter dash makes me wonder if he is actually related to a cheetah.

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Which one is your favorite? Tell us in the comments, or share videos we’ve missed!

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