Squirrels, wildlife enjoy diverse menu

What can a squirrel teach you? Plenty ... if you are observant.

While sitting in a tree stand this past October, I noticed many squirrels eating dogwood and black gum berries. I spied between five and seven squirrels in any one tree, chomping away.

This caught my interest because I had been chomping away recently on a fried squirrel dinner with biscuits and gravy. Actually, there was another reason for my curiosity. Last year and the year before, robins, starlings and cedar waxwings gorged themselves on these same berries -- not squirrels. So why is this year different? The answer is squirreled away in wild food resource abundance.

Like farm crops, there are good and bad years for wild plants. Last year, in my little part of the world, there were plenty of white oak acorns. Squirrels stuffed their cheeks fat with them. This year, acorns are sparse and squirrels are making the switch to other menu items. I'm certain squirrels eat dogwood berries each fall. More to the point this year, they are glad to have them.

This is where the squirrel lesson comes in. If I did not have a variety of trees in my woods, what would the squirrels eat? What would happen if there were only oaks and dogwoods and they produced poorly? Squirrel populations would suffer. Now consider what happens if you have a variety of plants, each with slightly different requirements for producing fruit. No matter what the condition, some plant is going to produce berries, seed or nuts. That means a better chance at survival for every animal that eats out in the woods.

If this makes sense, then you understand the squirrel's lesson. Variety is not just the spice of life, it is the main course. The squirrels were not just speaking up about their diet, rather they were barking out a solid principle for wildlife management. Diversity is crucial for species survival. We often are not observant enough to say with certainty what is valuable to any wildlife species. If you sit and watch though, nature may reveal some of its ways. The squirrel lesson could not be any plainer for people as well: We use a variety of plants for our food and shelter, as well as a variety of consumer products. It makes sense to keep what we have.

Squirrels are just one of many species that benefit from plant diversity. Every wild thing relies on more than one food source and needs a variety to survive. The greater the variety, the better off the wildlife will be. This common sense argument is why food plots are only one tool in the box, not the box itself.

If you want to learn more about improving the diversity on your property, then contact the Department of Conservation for tips. Whether you visit the Web or call a staff member, you are sure to find something to help you put a squirrel's lesson into practice.

A.J. Hendershott is an outreach and education regional supervisor with the Missouri Department of Conservation.