Today is National Squirrel Appreciation Day and it's the perfect time to learn about and celebrate our cute little backyard friends.
Squirrel Facts:
- There are 200 species of squirrels in the world
- Baby squirrels are born blind and without fur
- A squirrel's four front teeth never stop growing
- While squirrels are good at hiding their food on their territory, they can lose up to 25% of their stash to thieves
- Sometimes squirrels forget about nuts they bury and that results in the growth of new trees
- Squirrels talk to one another by whistling, chirping, and clicking
- Back in the 1800s, feeding squirrels was seen as a means to encourage kindness to all animals. It was thought that by adding squirrels to parks in cities, they would bring pleasure and entertainment to the people who couldn’t leave the city easily get out to nature
Do you have a lot of squirrels in your backyard? Here's a fun way to make them a snack!
Homemade Squirrel Food:
What You’ll Need:
- Bread
- A toaster
- A fun shaped cookie cutter (we used a star but anything will work!)
- Peanut butter
- Plastic spoon
- Paper plate
- Squirrel snacks:
- Corn kernels
- Peanuts
- Sunflower seeds
- Dried fruit
Instructions:
- Toast a slice of bread in the toaster
- Use a cookie cutter to cut the shape out of the toasted bread
- Grab a spoonful of peanut butter and, using the plastic spoon, coat the entire piece of bread
- Spread your squirrel snacks evenly on the paper plate
- Gently pressed the peanut butter coated bread onto the birdseed
- Once your bread is covered in squirrel snacks, let the entire piece harden for about an hour
- Set your homemade squirrel food in a place accessible for squirrels and enjoy watching them come over for a snack!
