November 28, 2010 - Hidden Midden
Welcome to the Nature Notebook.

Red squirrels, also known as pine squirrels, scurry about in late fall gathering and storing green cones for winter. You might come across a red squirrel’s pantry on a walk through the woods. A large pile of discarded cone scales is a good indication that a red squirrel has been dining regularly at that spot. The squirrel strips away scales from a conifer cone as it eats the seeds. Scales left behind in piles form a storage place or midden for additional cones. The high moisture content in the midden prevents cones from opening. You just might get scolded by the watchful red squirrel for intruding into its territory. Red squirrels are also fond of mushrooms, which they collect and hang to dry before storing. Each of several middens can contain up to a bushel of seeds, cones and mushrooms.

This is PPL's naturalist, Jon Beam, with the Nature Notebook for WVIA.