... a cache on the forest floor created by red squirrels to store food for the winter is called a 'midden'?  It looks like a mound of dead leaves and debris at the base of a tree.  It features burrowing holes and sometimes visible stashes of pinecones or other food items.

Thanks to VELMA HUDSON for the photos. 

  For a wonderful article on red squirrels visit:  http://www.donmeredith.ca/article-forest-chickaree.php

Comments

[Alison]

Not the use of the word "midden" that I'm used to -- so I've learned something new too. Midden is essentially another term for the dump. Ancients middens are an invaluable source of anthropological information. Current middens are a source of bad smells.

[Eileen Schuh]

Alison: I'd never heard the word 'midden' until my friend, Velma Hudson, (who took the photos for me) taught me about squirrel middens. Velma is a Biology Technician with the Alberta Conservation Association.