A squirrel gets ready for the winter ahead. Henry David Thoreau watched as the little creature carried out its work and later wrote about the scene...
It’s that time of year – autumn, the season of collecting,
harvesting and preparing for winter.
The markers of the passing of the seasons are very noticeable in rural areas
as humans and non-humans set about preparing for the long, dark months
ahead. The fields and barns have been a
hive of activity and indoors, people begin to stock up with winter
supplies. But others too are acutely
aware that the seasonal clock is ticking and in the woods, there is much to-ing
and fro-ing among the small mammals. It
has been several months since I saw a red squirrel but I have spotted a
couple lately while walking in the local forest. When an opportunity arises and it is possible
to observe one from a discreet vantage point, I return somewhat richer and
happier for the encounter.
It was after returning from the woods and watching a
squirrel going about its business that Henry David Thoreau put pen to paper and
recorded the event:
“I saw a red squirrel
run along the bank under the hemlocks with a nut in its mouth. He stopped near the foot of a hemlock, and hastily
pawing a hole with its fore feet, dropped the nut, covered it up, and retreated
part way up the trunk of the tree, all in a few moments. I approached the shore to examine the
deposit, and he, descending betrayed no little anxiety for his treasure and
made two or three motions to recover the nut before he retreated. Digging there, I found two pignuts joined
together, with their green shells on, buried about an inch and a half in the
soil, under the red hemlock leaves. This
then, is the way forests are planted.
This nut must have been brought twenty rods at least and was buried at
just the right depth. If the squirrel is
killed, or neglects its deposit, a hickory springs up.”
( H D Thoreau
from
The Journal of Henry David
Thoreau)
