Category Archives: Creature Feature

Eastern chipmunks can be found living on the forest floor, where they forage for food and make their burrows. Quick and shy, they are most often spotted in motion as they run along the ground and fallen logs. Their genus, Tamias means “treasurer” in Greek, as they forage for seeds, berries and nuts, which they store in their burrows, a behavior known as “caching”. They also will eat insects, mushrooms, earthworms, and even smaller rodents such as mice! They mate in the early spring, and typically have between 1-8 young. In the fall, they spend much of their time foraging for food to cache in order to survive the winter. During prolonged cold periods, they enter a state of torpor, where their metabolism and heart rate slow down dramatically. In addition to being valuable dispersers of the seeds of many plants, eastern chipmunks serve as an important food source for foxes, raccoons, hawks, and owls.

By Ezra Staengl, Center for Urban Habitats Common Buckeye Junonia coenia Family: Nymphalidae   Distinguishing Features/Description: Common buckeyes are medium sized, brightly colored and strikingly patterned butterflies. Each of the […]