Eastern Gray Squirrels come in a range of colors. Michigan has the “classically” colored Gray Squirrels that are brown with white bellies.  But many of our Grays are of the black (melanistic) color variant. Some are colorfully confused, part brown, part black, part white. Plus we also have the smaller red squirrels. All of them, plus chipmunks, race around the lake house this time of year. They are bulking up for winter and squirreling away acorns and seeds. A long cold winter will soon be upon us all.

This brave Gray Squirrel came onto the deck rail and stared at the corn cob for a bit.  He was alert for predators. Eventually he bellied up to the cob, gripped it with his two forepaws, ripped kernels off and totally pigged out.