Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Cheery Chipmunks!
Hello everyone! Today I have something a little different to share. That will be, some information about these little chipmunks I keep talking about on my blog. Most of you have never seen a chipmunk, mainly because they don’t live where you live. They are a beautiful, friendly and cheery little animal. They have large black eyes, bushy tails that are 3 to 5 inches (7.5 – 12.5 cm) long, and black, white and brown striped backs. There are 25 species of these cute little animals and all but one live in North America. Only the Siberian chipmunk lives elsewhere and that is central Russia, northern China and even northern Japan. Plus it has now spread through much of Europe due to people having them as pets back in the 1960s. But they are still not plentiful in Europe.
Chipmunks are the smallest members of the squirrel family. Depending on species they can range in size from 4 to 11 inches (10-27.5cm) long. The ones around here are generally around 5 inches (12.5cm), not including the tail which can be another 4 or 5 inches (10-12.5cm) long. Chipmunks can live in many different habitats from forest to desert to suburban neighborhoods. They seem to love living near people and can be become quite tame quickly.
They seem to need 15 hours of sleep/day which leaves them only about 9 hours to forage around looking for food to eat and store for the next winter. In this climate they begin storing food for winter once they are active in the spring. They are very energetic animals, they don’t sit still for very long. In warmer areas they will live in old logs, bushes or in piles of rocks. In colder areas like this they build burrows underground. These can be quite large, going as deep as 6 feet (nearly 2 meters) with tunnels reaching 30 feet (up to 10 meters) in length. There are also separate rooms for food storage, sleeping area (which is kept very clean and lined with whatever soft material it kind find), a garbage room and even a bathroom.
Baby chipmunks are born blind and hairless and are about the size of a jelly bean. There is usually four in a litter. They are normally born in early summer, here from late May to mid June After 6 weeks the young are on their own, making their own burrow and collecting food for the winter. In warmer areas they will sometimes have two litters per summer.
They are not fussy eaters, they love berries, seeds of all kinds, nuts, peanuts, mushrooms and insects. They have huge check pouches to carry their food and these pouches can expand to 3 times the size of their head. They partly hibernate in winter, but because they don’t put on fat like some animals, they need to keep waking up during the winter to eat. So it’s not really considered true hibernation but rather torpor. In this area the chipmunks begin this torpor by late September or early October.
So there you have a quick guide to chipmunks, my amazing little friends. Many of you have asked about chipmunks so hope this helps. Oh, they also have a short life span of 3 to 4 years. Well, that’s it, enjoy the info and the pictures of these cute little chipmunks. I hope you all enjoy your weekend and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
© 2019 Steve McLeod.
An August Day Continues.
Hello everyone! You probably thought I had forgotten to continue the adventure with my dad and I fishing, right? Not at all. I am here with part 2 now. It actually warmed up a bit today, much like that day when we went fishing. Except on that day it warmed up a lot more than it did today. Good thing we brought some cold drinks. Maybe not the best kind, but cold anyway. Sitting out in the boat on that lake in full sun, it got hot.
Dad was still complaining about the hole in his pants. At least it made him forget about the hole in his shirt. Toss me a Pepsi, said dad. That’s exactly what he said. Dad was standing again. You would think he would have learned by now. So I tossed him the can of Pepsi. The look on his face. His eyes got so big! He actually jumped out of the way. The can hit the bottom of the boat right at the back. BANG! Sounded like an explosion against the aluminum boat. Of course when dad jumped out of the way he stepped on his tackle box. Which was open at the time. Dad yelled. Hey, you’re scaring the fish, I said.
Bonehead! That’s all dad said. I have a hook stuck in my foot now, he said. Wow, 3 times in one day, said I. You really should be more careful, I continued. Dad just stared at me. Hmm, almost think he blamed me for that. Not my fault he stepped in his tackle box. You should always keep your box closed, I said. Dad was too concerned with getting the hook out of his foot, I don’t think he heard me. Want me to do it for you? NO, said dad, then I will have a hole in my running shoe. Why would that happen? Dad just looked at me. Very strange, I thought. Finally dad was finished. The can is all dirty, he said. That’s because the bottom of the boat is dirty back there, said I. Wash it off in the lake, I suggested. Can’t believe he actually thought that was a good idea. Unfortunately the can slipped out of his hand and sunk. Dad just sat there watching it sink and saying, my Pepsi. You’re supposed to hold onto the can, I said. Bonehead! Was all dad said.
Next he wanted his sandwiches which he said to place gently on the seat. Which I did. Then dad got a bite on his line. He stood up, but lost his fish. Meanwhile I bent over to get the net ready. That rocked the boat a bit. Dad sat down with a thud. He just looked at me. Then he looked around. Where’s my sandwiches? I put them on the seat beside you like you asked me to, said I. The look on dad’s face. Priceless. He sat on the sandwiches. He looked at them. Well, I said, look at the bright side, it won’t take as long to eat them. That did it. I started to laugh. For some reason dad didn’t think it was so funny. Strange.
Oh my, time does go by fast doesn’t it? I guess there will have to be a part 3 to this story. Well, I hope you enjoyed part 2 anyway. And I do hope that all of you have a great weekend and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
© 2019 Steve McLeod.
