Critters

The annual race for the pecan crop has begun, and I may already have lost out. My two trees are carrying hefty loads in spite of a drier than usual season (I've done some slow, deep watering) with no signs of fungus or pests. In prior years I've been out there as soon as the green husks began to split, harvesting nuts as high as I could reach and of course staining my fingers in the process. Nearby the squirrels would be chattering - scolding me for interrupting their harvest. Greedy little rascals - they usually got all of the crop in the upper branches, so why couldn't they share with me without fussing?

But this year they're going too far! Although the green husks won't begin to split for about 30 more days, the thieves are already knocking clusters from the branches. Some but not all of the downed immature nuts have been chewed open through that bitter husk and the contents emptied. I've put out extra sunflower seed and dried corn, but I may be just whetting their appetites. They are so cute and their antics are fun to watch; I find it hard to think of them as rodents. "Tree rats" was the moniker attached to them by cousin Dener's hubby Jerry. Quite an apt description, I must admit.