Hey, Mr. Chipmunk, what are you thinking about? This little critter looks like he’s contemplating how many nuts he’d like to store for the winter. Cute and furry, the chipmunk is the smallest member of the squirrel family ranging from 7 inches to 11 inches. Some of their characteristic features include chubby cheeks, stripes, and large, bushy tails.
Twenty-four out of the 25 species of chipmunks live in North America. The other species lives in Asia and is called the tamias sibiricus. Chipmunks can live in bushes, nests, logs, or even in burrows they’ve dug underground.
Chipmunks usually eat nuts, berries, seeds, grain, and fruit which they stuff into their cheeks to store and carry. They dip into their stash of food throughout the winter when they hibernate.
Summer is still here, but fall (and the chipmunks) reminds us to preserve some of our food for the coming winter months. There are several food preservation techniques including canning, drying or freezing. Good luck to you and good luck to the chipmunks!
Thanks to CU photographer Stella1964 for the hen and rooster photo! Check out My Gallery for more of nature’s curiosities.
And don’t forget to submit your photos to the CU photo-sharing site for a chance to be the Photo of the Week. Each week the Photo of the Week is taken from that week’s submissions. You could also be featured in the magazine sometime!
Remember to fill out the captions and give your gallery a name all its own. The more we know about an image, the more we can take from it.
Emylisa Warrick is an Online Editorial Assistant at Ogden Publications, the parent company of MOTHER EARTH NEWS. Find her on Google+.
