Madam, Do wild animals know when it is going to be a hard winter? I think the squirrels in my garden must have some idea.
In the autumn of 2008 the hazelnut tree outside my window was full of nuts and the squirrels were in the tree eating the nuts and dropping shells everywhere.
This winter the garden has been full of food for animals and birds, berries on the holly bush and the rowan tree, and once again the hazel was covered with nuts. However, in the autumn the squirrels were picking the nuts and burying them. There were loads of them, we picked 40lbs ourselves. It was almost as though the squirrels knew what was going to happen and now, with the deep snow on the ground, they have been digging up their store of nuts.
Bridget Pardington, Glewstone