Upcycling in Nature: More Squirrel Ingenuity on Display

During the 2021 polar vortex in Minnesota, the tree squirrel parents nesting on the white oaks in our backyard got tired of hauling damp oak leaves to insulate their nest (they had two little ones to protect this winter). Noticing the excess landscape cloth draped over the raised beds in our vegetable garden, they went after it with a vengeance! All for a good cause. Weakened by exposure to sunlight over the past 7 years, it was dry and not serving any useful purpose, anyway. Glad to witness such creativity in fellow creatures we share this land with. And we humans think we are so smart... We are going to reward them with squirrel feeders this year. They have been longingly eyeing our window bird-feeders all winter!
Captured on 28 February 2021. (c) Raj V. Rajan, Lakeville, Minnesota.