The most underrated show in your yard
Squirrels are so common that most of us stop seeing them, which is a shame, because pound for pound they are among the most acrobatic animals you will ever watch. National Squirrel Appreciation Day, started in 2001 by a North Carolina wildlife rehabilitator, exists to slow you down and give these bushy-tailed neighbors a second look. Watch one launch between branches, hang upside down from a feeder, or bury a nut with the seriousness of a bank teller, and you will remember why kids find them endlessly entertaining.
Know who is actually visiting
“Squirrel” covers a lot of ground. Depending on where you live you might host eastern gray squirrels, big rusty fox squirrels, quick little red squirrels, ground squirrels, or their striped cousins the chipmunks. Flying squirrels are probably around too, gliding after dark when you are not looking. Spend a few minutes learning which species share your block; once you can tell a fox squirrel from a gray, your yard turns into a small, ongoing nature documentary that runs all year.
Feed them, or at least stop fighting them
You do not have to feed squirrels, but if the daily raids on your bird feeder have become a personal war, a truce is cheaper than escalation. A dedicated squirrel feeder — the classic bench that holds an ear of corn works fine — gives them their own buffet and takes some pressure off the birdseed. If you would rather keep the feeder squirrel-free, a baffle on the pole does far more than any so-called deterrent spray. Choose your strategy and commit; half-measures just train smarter squirrels.
A squirrel will spend twenty minutes defeating a feeder you spent five minutes installing. Respect the effort.
Appreciate the ecosystem work
Here is the part that earns them real gratitude: squirrels are accidental foresters. They bury far more nuts than they ever dig back up, and a good number of those forgotten acorns sprout into oaks. Whole stretches of woodland owe their existence to squirrel forgetfulness. Ground squirrels and chipmunks do similar work with seeds and mushroom spores, quietly reshuffling a whole habitat’s worth of life underfoot — a lot of unpaid labor from an animal most people shoo off the porch. So today, put out a few in-shell nuts if you like, watch the acrobatics from a warm window, and give a nod to the small gray creature quietly planting next century’s trees in your yard.
How to celebrate
- 1Actually watch the acrobatics
Spend a few minutes really watching a squirrel move — the leaps, the upside-down feeder raids, the frantic burying. It is some of the best free entertainment in your yard. Slowing down to notice is the entire point of the day.
- 2Learn your local species
Figure out whether your visitors are gray squirrels, fox squirrels, red squirrels, ground squirrels, or striped chipmunks. Flying squirrels may glide through after dark too. Being able to tell them apart turns your yard into an ongoing nature show.
- 3Offer a squirrel-friendly snack
If you enjoy feeding them, put out a few in-shell nuts or a dedicated squirrel food mix. A classic corn-cob feeder gives them their own spot to raid. You never have to feed squirrels, but if you do, keep it simple and species-appropriate.
- 4Make peace with the bird feeder
If squirrels have declared war on your birdseed, choose a strategy and commit. A baffle on the feeder pole genuinely works, and a separate squirrel feeder draws them off. Half-measures just train smarter, hungrier squirrels.
- 5Thank them for planting trees
Squirrels bury far more nuts than they dig back up, and many of those forgotten acorns grow into oaks. Whole stretches of forest exist because of squirrel forgetfulness. Leaving a corner of the yard a little wild helps them keep at it.