Dear Lilliputian,
This is a photo of a Grey Squirrel . I believe that every Lilliputian that reads this has a Squirrel or two as a neighbor . In fact almost everyone does . Squirrels live all over the world. In the map down below it shows in yellow where Squirrels live . The tan - brown areas are where they don't live . I think it is interesting that Australia and Greenland are the only countries that don't have Squirrels . Can you point to where we live on this map , and can you guess where Australia and Greenland are ?
I was reading about Squirrels and one of the things I read was about how Squirrel's bury their food . They collect mostly acorns and seeds and they dig little holes to bury them in . They do this mostly in the fall to make sure that they have food put aside for the winter . You and I put our food in the cabinets , drawers, and refrigerators , and because Squirrels don't have cabinets , drawers or refrigerators they dig a little hole and put their food in there . . . Then they bury it . . . sort of like you and and I shut the cabinet door or close the drawer . Now the Squirrel has a bit of secret trick that he plays on other animals , mainly other Squirrels , and it is that they also " fake " bury their acorns . The Squirrel knows how important its buried food supply is going to be this cold , snowy winter and it doesn't want any other animal to steal his food supply . When the Squirrel thinks someone is watching him . . . he digs a fake hole and pretends to put an acorn or two into the little hole and then he quickly covers it up . When the Squirrel thief digs and finds out that there are no acorns buried in the " fake " holes . . . he will eventually stop spying on the other Squirrel . Have you ever had to hide a toy or some Halloween candy from a brother or sister . . . ? Well , that is just what the Squirrel is doing .
Don't you think they are very clever ?
I don't know if you enjoy Maple syrup on your pan cakes , but I do know that Squirrels enjoy Maple sap . They will use their sharp little teeth to gnaw a little hole into the Maple tree . When the sap leaks out the Squirrel leaves it to sort of dry on the side of the tree . The Squirrel later returns and he licks the tree where the sap has dried and has become a bit like our Maple Syrup . Yum !
Scientists have just started noticing that Squirrels like Maple sap , but there is a story still told about an Iroquois Indian child that lived a long time ago that noticed a Squirrel making a small hole in the bark of a Maple tree to let the sap leak out and then the Squirrel left the sap to dry and when the Iroquois child saw the Squirrel return he watched again and saw that the Squirrel came back to lick the Maple sap on the tree . The child decided to try it . He made a little hole with his knife and then returned later to lick the spot where he too discovered a sweet treat . If this story is true about how the Northeastern American Iroquois Indians started collecting Maple sap to make Maple syrup , and later taught the Pilgrims to do the same , then that is why you have Maple syrup on your pancakes today . Don't you think that
the next time you see a squirrel gathering seeds or acorns in your backyard . . . you might want to say " Thank you " .
A book you may enjoy this summer is a short story by Beatrix Potter titled The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin .
I have always wondered . . . was the author of The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin being funny when she called this story a Tale . . . seeing that one of the beautiful things about a Squirrel is it's Tail . . . ?
Until next time ,
Wildbee
This is a photo of a Grey Squirrel . I believe that every Lilliputian that reads this has a Squirrel or two as a neighbor . In fact almost everyone does . Squirrels live all over the world. In the map down below it shows in yellow where Squirrels live . The tan - brown areas are where they don't live . I think it is interesting that Australia and Greenland are the only countries that don't have Squirrels . Can you point to where we live on this map , and can you guess where Australia and Greenland are ?
I was reading about Squirrels and one of the things I read was about how Squirrel's bury their food . They collect mostly acorns and seeds and they dig little holes to bury them in . They do this mostly in the fall to make sure that they have food put aside for the winter . You and I put our food in the cabinets , drawers, and refrigerators , and because Squirrels don't have cabinets , drawers or refrigerators they dig a little hole and put their food in there . . . Then they bury it . . . sort of like you and and I shut the cabinet door or close the drawer . Now the Squirrel has a bit of secret trick that he plays on other animals , mainly other Squirrels , and it is that they also " fake " bury their acorns . The Squirrel knows how important its buried food supply is going to be this cold , snowy winter and it doesn't want any other animal to steal his food supply . When the Squirrel thinks someone is watching him . . . he digs a fake hole and pretends to put an acorn or two into the little hole and then he quickly covers it up . When the Squirrel thief digs and finds out that there are no acorns buried in the " fake " holes . . . he will eventually stop spying on the other Squirrel . Have you ever had to hide a toy or some Halloween candy from a brother or sister . . . ? Well , that is just what the Squirrel is doing .
Don't you think they are very clever ?
I don't know if you enjoy Maple syrup on your pan cakes , but I do know that Squirrels enjoy Maple sap . They will use their sharp little teeth to gnaw a little hole into the Maple tree . When the sap leaks out the Squirrel leaves it to sort of dry on the side of the tree . The Squirrel later returns and he licks the tree where the sap has dried and has become a bit like our Maple Syrup . Yum !
Scientists have just started noticing that Squirrels like Maple sap , but there is a story still told about an Iroquois Indian child that lived a long time ago that noticed a Squirrel making a small hole in the bark of a Maple tree to let the sap leak out and then the Squirrel left the sap to dry and when the Iroquois child saw the Squirrel return he watched again and saw that the Squirrel came back to lick the Maple sap on the tree . The child decided to try it . He made a little hole with his knife and then returned later to lick the spot where he too discovered a sweet treat . If this story is true about how the Northeastern American Iroquois Indians started collecting Maple sap to make Maple syrup , and later taught the Pilgrims to do the same , then that is why you have Maple syrup on your pancakes today . Don't you think that
the next time you see a squirrel gathering seeds or acorns in your backyard . . . you might want to say " Thank you " .
A book you may enjoy this summer is a short story by Beatrix Potter titled The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin .
I have always wondered . . . was the author of The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin being funny when she called this story a Tale . . . seeing that one of the beautiful things about a Squirrel is it's Tail . . . ?
Until next time ,
Wildbee
When ever you want to . . . you can post a question here or even a comment . Just click on the words No Comments and it will show a long skinny rectangle for you to type in .
ReplyDeleteLove you,
Wildbee