What’s a SoCal Squirrel to Eat?

Today’s guest post by Bob Yates.

If you’re a naturalist neophyte like me, you probably think squirrels exist solely on nuts, chiefly acorns.

Au contraire, as our patio field camera surveillance and phone video proved recently. Turns out, Mr. Ground Squirrel prefers sunflowers and parsley too!

Click here to watch the squirrel in full parsley mode.

Yes, parsley — the decorative sprig of greenery that used to adorn your Delta Airlines first-class entree (until they realized they were spending $175K per year on it). Our visitor thought nothing of trimming edges from our potted parsley and ravaging sunflower petals and seeds. The latter meal caused one of the bigger messes our patio dining table has ever hosted.

Here’s a video of the sunflower-eating squirrel on the run.

Until the phone video opportunity presented itself, the ravages of both plants looked to be the work of your typical garden invader bunny. Unfortunately, we haven’t spotted even one rabbit, large or small, hungry or not, in our two years of residing in Pacific Palisades.

While I’m at it, I should also give credit to him (or her) for having the smarts to return to the scene of the crime, standing his tallest to stare at me in disbelief that the floral and vegetable edibles didn’t belong to him. We’re on the lookout for this rascal from here on in.