Courtesy of "The Sounds", July 22, 2002
By Pastor Isolde Anderson, Sauganash Community Church

Last summer we had the trim on our house painted. A few days after the job was completed, I came home to find a squirrel sitting on the top of our front steps. Strange, I thought. What is he doing here'? As I drew near, the squirrel ran off, but I looked at the spot where he had been sitting. The rascal had been nibbling on our newly painted wooden doorframe and had chewed off a corner the size of a grape.  How bold can these critters get?

Even though we took no action to deter any future nibbling, we had no problems with squirrels since then. This summer we seem to have a problem with rabbits instead.  The marigolds that flourished under our magnolia tree last summer have suddenly amassed the local rabbit population, which his nibbled off every new flavor we've planted under that tree.

As cute as they are. squirrels and rabbits are urban pests. Most likely, they think the same of us, since they lived in the neighborhood first! But to prepare myself for future confrontations (and for fun!). I looked up some websites on squirrels. Did you know:

• There are four species of squirrels in Illinois? The ones we mainly see in the an Eastern Grey Squirrels

• That squirrels live in an average of 7-8 years and have two to three babies per litter?
• That a mother squirrel nurses her offspring for 75 days and seeds, buds, flowers and fungi? Squirrels will also eat cultivated crops, frogs and bird eggs.
• That the reason squirrels cal climb down trees head-first is that their hind feet can be reversed 180 degrees?
• That squirrels are non-territorial and have overlapping ranges The average range of a squirrel is 5 hectares (50,000 square meters or about 12. acres).

• That squirrels do not like hot peppers? So, if you want to keep them away from plans or bird feeders, try spraying jalapeño juice every few days around the area you want to protect.