The Sciuridae Family

Thirteen Lined Ground Squirrel

I want to pickup on a topic I spoke of rather briefly in the second part of the post on Talkative Thursday.

The Sciuridae Family and my experiences with at least 6 of them, 4 of which are apart of the Timber Life family.

The only member of the family that isn't a ground dweller is the Foxtail Squirrel showing off in the third picture below. I truly have fun watching all these little critters running here and there...

Chipmunk

Groundhog

Foxtail Squirrel

Prairie Dog

However, a downside to these ground shifting rodents - unexpected holes to fall into when walking or driving around the farm and timber. After falling into holes created in the hard packed drive ,one will want to reconsider how fast the travel speed should be to complete the trip.

Soft soils are excellent medium to start a new tunnel and living quarters for most of  the cousins who live here in Iowa.                                           


The larger Groundhogs find no difficulty in expanding  their tunnels from between 8 - 66 feet with multiple rooms and exits.In the construction of their den it has been found to contain a room specifically associated to the bodily function of defecation. They usually have more than one den to keep them close to the best sources of food and protection. My observations have them building dens under wood piles, at bases of trees and in the slope of a hill in the timber floor.


I have been privileged to watch them scamper up trees and freeze in place so they won't be detected.



The Foxtail Squirrel is very industrious when it comes to distributing the Black Walnut seeds found in abundance here in our timber.

I would prefer they go about planting more acorns and hickory nuts instead of eating them...One of those human traits I would like to pass along - eat some, plant some and save some . The only problem with the last theory is the number of rodents and birds that feast on the same resources, there doesn't seem to be enough to save some.


                                                                          



In  September 2007, middle afternoon sun we found several Prairie Dog colonies in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Hubby and I hadn't seen these little creatures in the wild before this trip. It created a curiosity about their habits due to the problems they were said to be causing for the cattlemen and the destruction of the grazing lands over vast areas.

At the time of our visit to the Badlands they were beginning to test Blackfooted Ferrets as a means of biological control.

Yellow-bellied Marmot

This past summer during June, I had the great privilege of visiting the Rocky Mountain National Park outside Estes Park , CO., with my family.

On one of the Tourist Pull-off areas at Forest Canyon Overlook , we came across this chubby little Marmot out enjoying the late afternoon sun.

Please click the captions to find more information about each of the members of the squirrel family or previous posts here at Timber Life...


My hope is that the next time you see a member of the Sciuridae Family you'll have time to watch a little bit of nature in action in the great outdoors.


Thank you for your visit today! All pictures posted here are the property of Timber Life Wildscapes.

Song Day Sunday

A truth that continues to mean a lot to me through the years - I need to constantly look to God to keep me grounded. 

This week my personal goal is going to be being mindful of all I say, think, or do, to speak the truth in whatever circumstances God places before me...

Have a Blessed Day!

Song Day Sunday

 Good Song Day Sunday Morning to you !

As the day begins here for me at Timber Life on a Valentines Day and a Sunday I want to do some some singing. Today,I have a song to share that has come to mean a lot to me when I come to seek God's presence. I have been a Christian for along time now, but not always walking in the place spiritually that brings me close to the Lord. I continue to be a work in progress.

There is one question that comes to mind in both my personal and my Spiritual lives - How well do I listen to what my Lord or my spouse is trying to say to me? I will only pose the question...each of us who is married,in a relationship,single and has different interpretations of what Valentines means to them can answer it for themselves. In any case it probably means that focusing on the giver of the communications,learning to take things into your heart and mulling it over for awhile  instead of always making snap decisions, then thinking of it no more is an option that might get us further along in our day to day existence.

On a day like today when the day for Lovers coincides with the day we set apart for coming into the presence of God...I would like to focus on my relationship with God first and then with my Husband for their "Love Never Fails". Help me Lord to Open the Eyes of My Heart to always See and Believe in my heart of hearts...



                                                     

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You To see You high and lifted up
Shinin' in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing holy, holy, holy Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You To see You high and lifted up
Shinin' in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing holy, holy, holy (Repeat two more times) Holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to see you Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to see you Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy,
I want to see you (Repeat five more times)

                                                  A thought for the day... 

Proverbs 4:23
Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

Talkative Thursday

Honestly, I tried a couple of days ago to get a blog-post typed across the page. I wasn't able to get it accomplished for some reason or another. Excuses! Excuses!! Don't you know? ( said with a wink)

 If I would have been able to get things done I would have titled it Talkative Tuesday, but you see where it got me to today...Anyway, you will get to read today what should have been said already.

Monday February 1, 2016 

Today, I have something to say on a topic concerning this minute part of the world I occupy. Could be I'll have a  thought to interject into the online community that we might sit sipping coffee and discuss if we actually saw each other face to face.

Are you ready?!? I've got my coffee in hand. Is your coffee cup filled?

Iowa Caucus 2016

As a resident of Iowa I have been apart of  potential Republican Presidential candidates mailers, television commercials, and yes those DREADED telephone phone calls...even my cellphone. What I learned to do was let the answering machine take our calls, and if I didn't recognize the number on my cellphone it too went to voicemail,if they left a message.

We had quite a field of individuals from which to pick and choose just one in which we saw the leadership qualities we valued. The decision making process came and went this evening.

It had been several caucus cycles since I had participated at our precinct. Attendance to the event was  positive in number, entirely filling the room at the community center where Hubby and I go. They say this year totaled 186,000 souls strong Statewide increasing by half since  2012.

The candidate that finished first at our precinct was not the one who took the state as the first choice. I have a feeling that there are going to be questions once more on the way our selection process works in counting ballots and the way in which the results are reported.  The media brings stirrings of unrest by those who feel themselves slighted in the end tally. 

We will have some interesting months ahead until it has been decided who will be put on the November ballot.

Onto the next subject...

 Ground Hog Day

While working on ideas for my previous paragraphs I heard that Puxatawney Phil was not seeing his shadow and had optimistically prognosticated that Spring would be coming early. Keep your fingers crossed!

Sorry, I couldn't find one of our Ground Hogs lolling about in the snow...to add some additional prognostication from Iowa Timber Life Tim. I would have whispered with certainty into the little rodents ear for him to share that Spring will arrive in six weeks time.

We are accustomed to having Groundhogs waddling around here. They speed up trees or down holes if me or the dog happen to get to close.

The Groundhog is the largest member of the squirrel family and has a diet of  hickory nuts with a side of flowers or garden greens. According to my  observations

From personal experience I know they will pick up children's bubble toys that are left sitting

outside;either relocating at a distance to a den or burying them in soft dirt close by. I usually see only one at a time, unless a mother is showing her babies the best places to sleep and eat.They are entertaining until that salad they ate happens to include the roots of a special hosta I adopted from a family member. However, I have learned patience because they are another animal  species that has lived here longer than us...

Have a blessed evening!