It’s not just nuts that will stop a squirrel in her tracks. Trileigh Tucker shares the photos:
I encountered this incredibly photogenic squirrel foraging along the south part of the Lincoln Park beach. She appeared to be a nursing mother; maybe eating the dandelions somehow provides special nourishment to provide for her young?
Trileigh writes about nature and publishes more of her photos at naturalpresencearts.com.
Oh, this is one of the cutest pictures I’ve ever seen. It shattered the Cute-O-Meter! Trileigh, I don’t know if you’re displaying your photos in any galleries, but you should be. And a gentle reminder: Please, folks, keep your dogs on their leashes when you’re walking in our parks.
This is the funniest thing Ive ever seen. I thought it was photoshopped until I read the article. Way to impress Trileigh.
Those must smell sooo good-just look at that rapturous expression on her little face!
Not dandelions, those look like Hairy Cat’s Ear, though they could possibly be Smooth Hawksbeard. The milky sap is rich in nutrients.
Thanks, Brian! Yikes, I’m embarrassed. We have these outside our house as well as the ones I’m sure *are* dandelions, I just thought this was a different variant. Am hereby educated. – TR
Brian, I’m now educated too, thanks so much! Your comment explains a bit of a mystery: I was watching from a respectful distance as the squirrel foraged along, so I couldn’t see closely what she was eating. After a while she got to a big yellow flower that clearly seemed to be a dandelion, but didn’t eat that one, so I thought perhaps her earlier flowers were another species. But when I looked at the photos they looked enough like dandelions that I figured maybe she’d just eaten her fill.
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Now I know she preferred this other species, thanks to your comment. She didn’t seem to be eating the stems, just the heads; do you think she was still getting that milky sap?
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Thanks again.
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