Woodpile Sketches - Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)

Without question, the opossum (or just "possum") is the most fascinating creature that frequents the woodpile. It grows to the size of a large house-cat. It has opposable "thumbs" on its feet, so its tracks look like tiny human hand prints.

The possum is the only marsupial found north of Mexico. A "marsupial" is an animal that has a pouch that its babies live in until they are large enough to be independent. The babies are born only two weeks after they are conceived, when they must crawl from the birth canal to the pouch. They spend about two months in the mother's pouch. They will spend another month or two close to their mother, sometimes riding on her back, before they move off on their own.

Possums are solitary animals after leaving their mothers, and spend most of their short lives (they only live 2 to 4 years) constant moving at night, looking for food. They are "omnivores", which means they will eat just about anything: snails, mice, bugs, fruit, leaves and garbage from household trash cans. They have a large mouth of 50 sharp pointy teeth, which can make them appear ferocious, but in fact, they are very gentle creatures, and they avoid confrontation whenever possible.

One of the most fascinating facts about possums is their ability to "play dead". When threatened, they will fall in to a near coma, foam at the mouth, stick their tongues out and emit a terrible odor. This happens involuntarily and it can take hours for an opossum to wake up from this state.

Woodpile Sketches - Least Weasel

The least weasel is the smallest living carnivore.

These little creatures don't get more than about 6 inches long and only weigh a few ounces. The male is slightly larger than the female.

In spite of being barely larger than some mice, it is a very effective mouse hunter, and so it spends a lot of time in places like our woodpile. It has perfected a method of killing mice that is instant and always effective: it pierces the base of the mouse skull with its needle-like teeth. It then often lives in the nests of mice that it has killed.

The least weasel is the smallest of the weasel family and perhaps the easiest to identify because of its size. In addition, least weasels do not have a black tip on the end of their tails, as do its larger cousins: short-tailed and long-tailed weasels. Weasels go by other names, including "ermine" and "stoat" - which is the commonly used name for them in British countries.

There are a number of literary references to weasels and stoats, including those in the Wind in the Willows and Watership Down... and also the "woozles" in Winnie the Pooh.

Like other weasels, the least weasel turns completely white in winter (referred as "moulting" into white or becoming "ermine").

The least weasel has a reputation for being a vicious fighter and an effective carnivore. It is able to kill creatures as large as wild rabbits by using a skull bite, in spite of the fact that the prey may be up to ten times its own size.

Woodpile Sketches - Gray Squirrel

The gray squirrel is one of the most common animals in the midwestern United States.

Unlike the chimpmunk, the gray squirrel is a "scatter-hoarder". That means, instead of stashing it's food in a central burrow (like a chimpmunk), it hides the nuts and seeds it finds in a variety of hiding places all over it's territory. It's estimated that a single squirrel will have up to a thousand different hiding sites each year.

The gray squirrel might also be seen in entirely white (an albino) or entirely black (melanistic) colors.

Gray squirrels live in nests that they build at the tops of trees. These nests are easily visible from the ground (especially in winter). They are made of leaves and sticks and can be quite large. A squirrel will also make a nest in the attic or eaves of a house (if it can find a way in). Because of this destructive behavior, and because they raid feeders intended for birds, they are quite often seen as household pests.

The gray squirrel lives in most of North America and recently (within the last 100 years) has made its way to the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe. There, they are seen as unwanted invaders as they are displacing the native (and less pesky) red squirrels.

Woodpile Sketches - Chipmunk

The chipmunk's latin name (genus) of "tamius" means "storer" and that describes this little guy perfectly. He spends most of his time stuffing his cheeks with food, which he will hide in his burrow for winter eating. The name "chipmunk" most likely is a variation of an American Indian term ("chitmunk") for this little squirrel.

In addition to nuts and acorns, chipmunks eat fungi, worms, berries and insects; all of which are found in and around the woodpile.

Chipmunks create extensive burrows, which can be over 10 feet long underground. They keep their burrows clean, with special places dedicated to garbage (mostly shells from the nuts they eat) and special places to poop.

Male chipmunks live to be about 5 years old, females live to be about 10 years old. Females usually have babies twice a year (spring and late summer) and have litters of 4 or 5 babies at a time.

Chipmunks are quick and skittish, but also are very inquisitive. With a LOT of patience, you can train a chipmunk to eat nuts or seeds from your hand.

Woodpile Sketches - Common Garter Snake

The common garter snake. Next to mice, this is probably the most plentiful creature in the woodpile. It uses its tongue to smell and, because of its small size (it rarely gets more than two or three feet long), it can squeeze into the small spaces where it finds one of its favorite foods, baby mice.

The garter snake isn't picky though, and will eat nearly anything else (alive) that is small enough for it to swallow, including worms and bugs.

Garter snakes are "duirnal." That means they are most active during the day. In winter, the snakes hibernate together in a snake den, which might have dozens of snakes squirming together, all trying to keep warm.

In the springtime, the snakes mate and a female garter snake will give birth to 12-40 live snakes. Gartner snakes do not lay eggs, like some other snakes do.

Garter snakes are eaten by many other creatures, including larger snakes, hawks, skunks and foxes. Young garter snakes might even be eaten by bullfrogs. One of the defenses of a garter snake is to emit a stinky, oily fluid, which probably makes it taste mighty bad.

Most garter snakes are pretty harmless and easy to catch, but some may bite if threatened. Their saliva is toxic, but for most people (or dogs!) this will only create a minor rash or swelling.

Woodpile Sketches - Deer Mouse

It would be unfair to start looking at any of the creatures in the woodpile without first discussing the humble mouse.

This little guy is the key to the entire woodpile community. Unfortunately for him, that's because he's breakfast, lunch and dinner for most of the other creatures hovering around the woodpile.

This little guy (which I called a "field mouse" when I sketched it) is probably a deer mouse or white-footed mouse. They are closely related.

Side note: The term "field mice" (used by many people) actually refers to meadow voles, who live under the grasses in fields.

Deer mice require very little water, getting most of what they need from the seeds and insects they eat. Deer mice, like all mice, cannot vomit and so are easily killed when poisoned.

Deer mice can have litters of babies all year and typically will have a litter (4 or 5 mice) about once a month. They are short lived, mainly because they are a food source for so many things around the woodpile! But in any case would rarely live more than two years. Like all mice, they are extremely territorial, and dominant males will fight other males off of their territory. One male will typically live with several females and young mice.

So... Our little woodpile is likely the home to dozens of mice!

The Woodpile Behind the Shed

There is a woodpile behind the shed in our backyard where a variety of creatures live and congregate. Mice, weasels, chipmunks, squirrels, possums, an occasional red fox or turkey. It's a veritable micro-ecosystem back there.

I thought it would be interesting to do a few sketches of the creatures that live in or rely on the woodpile.