Weird Squirrel Behavior: A Reference Question

From the Ask a Librarian Reference Desk:

“The squirrels in my neighborhood are clipping little twigs off of ornamental trees and throwing them on the ground. So many twigs everywhere! Why are they doing this?”

Dear Patron,

Thank you for contacting The Seattle Public Library for assistance unraveling your squirrel-related mystery! Experts in squirrel behavior, such as the folks who work for University Extension programs and wildlife organizations, are not entirely sure why squirrels do this. They have two main theories:

1. They’re eating parts of the tree — The cambium layer beneath the bark of trees is rich in minerals and other nutrients, which can be in short supply during winter. Squirrels may be trimming branches and peeling bark to gain access to this food supply. (See the University Extension Ask an Expert database and Michigan State University Extension.)
2. They’re cutting clippings for nesting material – Some Squirrels build nests, called “dreys,” in tree branches using a combination of leaves, twigs, bark and other vegetation. Some even build two or three nests at one time, to create multiple avenues of shelter and escape.  It could be that your squirrels have a construction project and are throwing rejected building materials on the ground below. (West Virginia Wildlife Magazine speaks to this.)

Silly Stories to Share

I don’t know about you, but despite the glorious weather, everyone I know is in need of a bit of cheering up.  I turn once more to the picture books, the silly and the sublime.

Waiting For Winter by Sebastien Meschenmoser
I know we’re all waiting for summer at this point, but don’t let that stop you from picking up this lovely, hilarious book. Some of the most expressive drawings I’ve ever seen, combined with an original story and a smart, subtle commentary on the state of our world. Really, though, just get it for the pictures. No one, but no one, has ever captured such an exquisitely sleepy squirrel or such a fabulously unkempt hedgehog. They’re just _so_tired. I can relate.

Hippo! No, Rhino! by Jeff Newman
Read this one aloud. Giving voice to the grumpy, grumpy hippo RHINO is immensely satisfying. The simple illustrations nevertheless convey our hapless hippo’s RHINO’s distress excellently and with feeling. There are days when I long to correct opinions forcibly with the strength of my vehemence alone. I could take lessons from the much maligned and very funny RHINO.

Monkey With a Tool Belt by Chris Monroe
“This is Chico Bon Bon.” Of course it is. If I were a monkey with a tool belt (and a banana hammer), my name would have to be Chico Bon Bon, too. And I would have lots of absurd adventures involving excessive tinkering and unnecessarily complicated escape plans and loud noises like “Arooga Boom Clang Clang Clang!” Oh, wait. That last one’s from the next book, Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Noisy Problem . Trust me, you’ll want to read that one, too.

Happy by Mies van Hout
This new book, written for the very young, makes up in extraordinary, luminous chalk drawings what it lacks in plot. Brightly colored fish portray a range of emotion from the simple joy of delight, to the spikey intensity of fury. Beautiful and satisfying.

Mad at Mommy by Komako Sakai
Again with the expressive illustrations! Komako Sakai won awards for one of her other books, The Snow Day, but Mad at Mommy talks to me in the place where my inner child having a tantrum lives. Her engaging, delightful book provides a space to thoroughly enjoy being dramatically upset without collapsing in a heap yourself.

~Jenny, Central Library