I saw a vole.
Yes, that's vole with a "v".
They look very similar to a mouse, but have a short tail, more blunt nose and coarser-looking hair. Rest assured I have never touched one, so I can't confirm if the hair feels more coarse.
The vole pictured is not the one I saw. I didn't have my camera with me at the time. Thank goodness as in my state of fright, I would have dropped it on the cement floor. I think my voles are a little darker in color, too. Sometimes they look almost black.
They seem to like running into my garage where they sit in the corner waiting for me to come down the steps and let out a scream. They seem much smarter than mice because they hardly ever get caught in a trap.
They are not nice garden companions either. From what I understand, they go underground and eat roots, especially tulips and hostas.
Hopefully, you don't have them in your yard.
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I've got them in spades. A good mousing cat is the best defense, and we don't have one in residence at the moment.
ReplyDeleteActually, the worst thing about voles is when someone jokingly tells the dog to "Get 'em", and the dog takes it seriously and digs up the yard! My dad never did that again. And he couldn't punish the dog, because he did tell her to do it! (Yes, there was a dead vole to show for the effort.)
ReplyDeleteThings like that is why I have 3 cats and 2 dogs. Living on a farm its not good to be afraid, when we clean out the barn in the spring I help until I see the first mouse or whatever and then I'm out of there.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't have a cat think about getting one.
Pat
Voles are trouble!!
ReplyDeleteAren't they really small too? I remember the cat I had at my mom's leaving them as gifts for me on the front step.
ReplyDeleteMy cats have decimated both the vole and mole population. They took care of the mice and rabbits too!
ReplyDeleteOh dear - bears, skunks, aligators and now voles - the list is building. We only have the odd snake, spider or crocodile .... LOL.
ReplyDeleteI guess every area has its own share of 'nasties' for those who don't like them.
Has the skunk left and been replaced by voles, Zoey? At least the smell won't be so bad.
Oh yes, we do have them in Maine. And, they make a mess of the yard and garden.
ReplyDeleteI see there are certain advantages to being a cat owner. We have no pets...we are way too selfish. It's been 10 years since we've been without child and able to pick up and leave for the weekend without a care in the world. Pets would limit our freedom waayyy too much. Guess I'm stuck with the mice and voles!
ReplyDeleteAlice, I am not sure about the skunk. I think he/she is still under the deck, but we are both too afraid to actually look! We have not smelled the telltale odor for the past two weeks. Something scared him/her then causing a big spray in the wee hours of the morning. We could still smell it when we got home from work.
Do you get crocodiles in your yard?
Ah, voles. They like processed cheese. Or maybe mine just weren't smart enough to stay away from the traps.
ReplyDeleteI've seen a mole with an M in my yard but never a vole...had never even heard of those!! I can just picture them waiting in your garage now, planning to make you go EEK! lol
ReplyDeletethis is the first time i have seen your blog, nice photos. i had never seen a vole . i leared something.
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