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Post by debbiem on Oct 7, 2008 16:26:02 GMT 1
I spotted a squirrel on the roof of our shed this afternoon. He was most interested in one of my troughs or so it looked, there must have been something in there that caught his eye that he was gnawing at. I'm all for him coming into the garden. I think he scales down our neighbour's huge Horse Chestnut that overhangs our garden and then scouts around looking for things to forage. The main thing I would think at the moment is the hundreds of conkers on the ground. OH thinks that they wouldn't eat conkers, surely they must do? Something must do, surely....and I would've thought that squirrels would be a prime candidate? Am I wrong here?
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Post by madonplants on Oct 7, 2008 16:31:54 GMT 1
I spotted a squirrel on the roof of our shed this afternoon. He was most interested in one of my troughs or so it looked, there must have been something in there that caught his eye that he was gnawing at. I'm all for him coming into the garden. I think he scales down our neighbour's huge Horse Chestnut that overhangs our garden and then scouts around looking for things to forage. The main thing I would think at the moment is the hundreds of conkers on the ground. OH thinks that they wouldn't eat conkers, surely they must do? Something must do, surely....and I would've thought that squirrels would be a prime candidate? Am I wrong here? I think conkers are poisoness to animals, so don't think squirrels would be after them. Have they buried any of their own food in your troughs, Mrs B? |
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Post by debbiem on Oct 7, 2008 16:38:05 GMT 1
I spotted a squirrel on the roof of our shed this afternoon. He was most interested in one of my troughs or so it looked, there must have been something in there that caught his eye that he was gnawing at. I'm all for him coming into the garden. I think he scales down our neighbour's huge Horse Chestnut that overhangs our garden and then scouts around looking for things to forage. The main thing I would think at the moment is the hundreds of conkers on the ground. OH thinks that they wouldn't eat conkers, surely they must do? Something must do, surely....and I would've thought that squirrels would be a prime candidate? Am I wrong here? I think conkers are poisoness to animals, so don't think squirrels would be after them. Have they buried any of their own food in your troughs, Mrs B? ;D I would be flattered if they had, Keith - I think I scared him away, doing that daft thing in flying to get the camera, slamming down a saucepan in the process and not just watching. He came back again and I did it again! Some people never learn! :  I think it was a blessing in disguise you didn't have your camera with you when you saw your eagle, you had all the time to watch him. I didn't have my specs on but he seemed to be gnawing on the Lampranthus in the trough, or the trough itself!  Maybe he was doing a spot of flossing. ;D |
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Post by madonplants on Oct 7, 2008 16:43:32 GMT 1
They do eat flowers, so could it have been that?
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Post by 4pygmies on Oct 7, 2008 16:45:10 GMT 1
Um...watch your bulbs then MrsB! Squirrels are bu**ers for digging them up............ They have found my Hazel trees this year and there are hardly nuts left on them....humph. I know they're quite sweet but they are destructive little s*ds!
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Post by debbiem on Oct 7, 2008 16:50:11 GMT 1
I have bulbs, and plenty of flowers still in the troughs, and a Hazel, and corms - they're quids in then aren't they!  I'm still quite flattered as I've tried to create a woodland garden and now I've also got a squirrel - the novelty hasn't worn off yet, but the Autumn is still young......... |
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Post by madonplants on Oct 7, 2008 17:37:01 GMT 1
Did not realise you had bulbs in there, so it was probably after them, Mrs B. Just had a quick search and on Wikipedia it says Squirrels are resistant to the toxins, so was a little wrong there!  The nuts contain high concentrations of a saponin-class toxin called aesculin, which is toxic to many animals including humans because it causes hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells). The saponin can be eliminated by leaching the pulverized nuts in multiple changes of boiling water, to yield a wholesome starchy porridge once important to some Native American peoples. Some animals, notably deer and squirrels, are resistant to the toxins and can eat the nuts directly. An interesting side-note is that aesculin is a natural pH indicator which, when extracted turns from colorless to fluorescent blue under UV light in an acidic pH range. |
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Post by floweringcherry on Oct 7, 2008 18:08:06 GMT 1
Did not realise you had bulbs in there, so it was probably after them, Mrs B. Just had a quick search and on Wikipedia it says Squirrels are resistant to the toxins, so was a little wrong there! The nuts contain high concentrations of a saponin-class toxin called aesculin, which is toxic to many animals including humans because it causes hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells). The saponin can be eliminated by leaching the pulverized nuts in multiple changes of boiling water, to yield a wholesome starchy porridge once important to some Native American peoples. Some animals, notably deer and squirrels, are resistant to the toxins and can eat the nuts directly. An interesting side-note is that aesculin is a natural pH indicator which, when extracted turns from colorless to fluorescent blue under UV light in an acidic pH range. Yes they do eat conkers and they bury them in the garden and in my pots on the patio. They look sweet but really are a nuisance in the garden. Last year they dug up the bulbs I planted. When I replanted I covered with chicken wire. They also eat small birds eggs. Last year I had 3 but this year I have only seen one so far. |
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Post by Sleepy on Oct 7, 2008 19:07:48 GMT 1
Did not realise you had bulbs in there, so it was probably after them, Mrs B. Just had a quick search and on Wikipedia it says Squirrels are resistant to the toxins, so was a little wrong there! The nuts contain high concentrations of a saponin-class toxin called aesculin, which is toxic to many animals including humans because it causes hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells). The saponin can be eliminated by leaching the pulverized nuts in multiple changes of boiling water, to yield a wholesome starchy porridge once important to some Native American peoples. Some animals, notably deer and squirrels, are resistant to the toxins and can eat the nuts directly. An interesting side-note is that aesculin is a natural pH indicator which, when extracted turns from colorless to fluorescent blue under UV light in an acidic pH range. Yes they do eat conkers and they bury them in the garden and in my pots on the patio. They look sweet but really are a nuisance in the garden. Last year they dug up the bulbs I planted. When I replanted I covered with chicken wire. They also eat small birds eggs. Last year I had 3 but this year I have only seen one so far. If you have squirrels and want to plant bulbs, and if you have gorse growing near by... dig your hole, plant the bulb(s), refill just covering the bulb(s) and lay a couple of sprigs of gorse on top. Then refill the hole to ground level. The squirrels (and mice, if sowing peas, etc.) prick their noses on the gorse and go elsewhere. |
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Post by debbiem on Oct 8, 2008 9:35:27 GMT 1
Did not realise you had bulbs in there, so it was probably after them, Mrs B. Just had a quick search and on Wikipedia it says Squirrels are resistant to the toxins, so was a little wrong there! The nuts contain high concentrations of a saponin-class toxin called aesculin, which is toxic to many animals including humans because it causes hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells). The saponin can be eliminated by leaching the pulverized nuts in multiple changes of boiling water, to yield a wholesome starchy porridge once important to some Native American peoples. Some animals, notably deer and squirrels, are resistant to the toxins and can eat the nuts directly. An interesting side-note is that aesculin is a natural pH indicator which, when extracted turns from colorless to fluorescent blue under UV light in an acidic pH range. Yes they do eat conkers and they bury them in the garden and in my pots on the patio. They look sweet but really are a nuisance in the garden. Last year they dug up the bulbs I planted. When I replanted I covered with chicken wire. They also eat small birds eggs. Last year I had 3 but this year I have only seen one so far. So THAT'S why there are Horse Chestnut seedlings sprouting all over the place! : It's the squirrels who are planting them. I haven't noticed them digging up any bulbs but my Hyancinths last year had some bites taken out of them, and my Cyclamen corms had been munched too - I'll add the squirrel to the list of suspects then. ;D |
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Post by debbiem on Oct 8, 2008 9:36:54 GMT 1
Yes they do eat conkers and they bury them in the garden and in my pots on the patio. They look sweet but really are a nuisance in the garden. Last year they dug up the bulbs I planted. When I replanted I covered with chicken wire. They also eat small birds eggs. Last year I had 3 but this year I have only seen one so far. If you have squirrels and want to plant bulbs, and if you have gorse growing near by... dig your hole, plant the bulb(s), refill just covering the bulb(s) and lay a couple of sprigs of gorse on top. Then refill the hole to ground level. The squirrels (and mice, if sowing peas, etc.) prick their noses on the gorse and go elsewhere. That's a great idea Sleepy, thanks. |
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Post by debbiem on Oct 8, 2008 9:38:48 GMT 1
Did not realise you had bulbs in there, so it was probably after them, Mrs B. Just had a quick search and on Wikipedia it says Squirrels are resistant to the toxins, so was a little wrong there! The nuts contain high concentrations of a saponin-class toxin called aesculin, which is toxic to many animals including humans because it causes hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells). The saponin can be eliminated by leaching the pulverized nuts in multiple changes of boiling water, to yield a wholesome starchy porridge once important to some Native American peoples. Some animals, notably deer and squirrels, are resistant to the toxins and can eat the nuts directly. An interesting side-note is that aesculin is a natural pH indicator which, when extracted turns from colorless to fluorescent blue under UV light in an acidic pH range. Thanks Keith, I didn't know any of that! And we have hundreds of conkers all over our garden - they are most welcome to THEM, there are so many I don't know why they'd bother with anything alse harder to get at! |
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Post by madonplants on Oct 8, 2008 9:45:44 GMT 1
If you have squirrels and want to plant bulbs, and if you have gorse growing near by... dig your hole, plant the bulb(s), refill just covering the bulb(s) and lay a couple of sprigs of gorse on top. Then refill the hole to ground level. The squirrels (and mice, if sowing peas, etc.) prick their noses on the gorse and go elsewhere. That's a great idea Sleepy, thanks. Another thing is some wire netting over the top, that would do the trick. The trouble with squirrels is, that they are only doing what comes natural to them, just it's a pity when it's our gardens. Have you thought about one of these? Whether it would bring more in, I don't know! |
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Post by debbiem on Oct 8, 2008 9:52:32 GMT 1
That's a great idea Sleepy, thanks. Another thing is some wire netting over the top, that would do the trick. The trouble with squirrels is, that they are only doing what comes natural to them, just it's a pity when it's our gardens. Have you thought about one of these? Whether it would bring more in, I don't know! Funny thing, when I told OH about the squirrel yesterday he suggested getting a squirrel feeder - this is something we're definitely going to get, thanks Keith. Hope it does attract a few more - we don't have that many bulbs and low down not that many flowers, our garden's mainly green and shrubby and there really isn't that much they can damage, I'd love them to be regular visitors - the cats wouldn't bother them, would they? I think they're a bit too big and quick to take on. |
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Post by madonplants on Oct 8, 2008 10:02:43 GMT 1
Another thing is some wire netting over the top, that would do the trick. The trouble with squirrels is, that they are only doing what comes natural to them, just it's a pity when it's our gardens. Have you thought about one of these? Whether it would bring more in, I don't know! Funny thing, when I told OH about the squirrel yesterday he suggested getting a squirrel feeder - this is something we're definitely going to get, thanks Keith. Hope it does attract a few more - we don't have that many bulbs and low down not that many flowers, our garden's mainly green and shrubby and there really isn't that much they can damage, I'd love them to be regular visitors - the cats wouldn't bother them, would they? I think they're a bit too big and quick to take on. My first cat I had as a kid, caught the odd one, even had a rabbit once, but then it was a semi wild one and soon as we tamed it and had it a few months, it didn't bother the other wildlife, anymore. Squirrels have a nasty bite too, so don't think 'normal, well fed cats' would bother with them!! We had them coming to our garden, for the nuts and food off the birdtable and they are a joy to watch, with their antics. |
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Post by debbiem on Oct 8, 2008 10:04:33 GMT 1
We will definitely get one of those feeders - they are lovely to watch, aren't they? |
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