Sure they’re cute, but have you noticed more of them this year?
Lately I have been reading stories about New England being overrun by hordes of chipmunks this year. Oh, there are always a few. But this year, there are a few too many.
Sure, they’re also pretty cute, but when they are digging up your garden and your carefully planted flowers, they can also be a bit of a pest.
I like chipmunks. I certainly prefer them to squirrels. Squirrels just seem a bit pushy. And nervous. And not really friendly. Somehow chipmunks seem a bit more laid back.
But I have noticed there seems to be an abundance of chipmunks this year, so when I saw stories out of Maine and other New England states about the huge numbers of chipmunks, I took notice.
It seems the oak trees are to blame. Last year was a good year for acorns. Growing conditions must have been pretty much ideal, because there were a lot of acorns. The chipmunks could not eat all the acorns produced last year, so there will still a lot left on the ground come spring. So the chipmunks, noticing there was a lot of food, decide the world needed more chipmunks. So they made more. Lots more.
Nature will probably take care of that this coming winter by not producing near enough food for all the chipmunks, because… that’s how nature works. But for now, enjoy the chipmunks as they stuff their little faces.
