You may love ‘em or hate ‘em, but squirrels are here year-round, in our yards, parks and trees, running, scampering and jumping around like acrobats. With most deciduous trees bare of leaves, round-ish clumps of dead leaves stand out high up in the trees. In the mid-Atlantic, these are likely the nests of Eastern gray squirrels. The nests, also called dreys, are typically clumps of dead leaves and small branches about 30 feet off the ground. “Dreys are marvels of engineering,” co-author of North American Tree Squirrels John Koprowski told former Washington Post columnist John Kelly who invited readers to send him squirrel pictures during his annual “Squirrel Week.” The nests have three layers, Koprowski explained. “The outermost layer is made of leaves and twigs. Next is a tightly woven layer of bark and vines that provides some insulation. And inside that is the soft center where the squirrels snuggle.” It has “fluffy stuff,” he said, from shredded paper to bedding pulled from old couches left curbside. “The drey entrance is typically toward the bottom, often positioned on the opposite side from the prevailing wind.” On very cold days, squirrels snuggle up in the nests and may keep warm by wrapping their tails around their bodies. The gray squirrel eats nuts, seeds, wild fruit, tree flowers and corn. They bury nuts, a process called “caching,” and if they don’t retrieve the nuts, trees can spring up. Some call these critters “nature’s reforesters.” Opportunists, squirrels like to partake of seeds in many bird feeders. Squirrel Facts There are around 275 species of squirrels in the world, seven in Virginia: eastern gray squirrel, fox squirrel, red squirrel, northern flying squirrel, southern flying squirrel, Eastern chipmunk and woodchuck (groundhog). Chipmunks and woodchucks are ground-dwelling species primarily. The Eastern gray squirrel, weighing 16 to 18 ounces and 12 to 21 inches long, is normally gray with a whitish belly and some yellow-brown on its face. Some can be beige, black or white. In March 2025, some Old Town Alexandria residents posted photos of a white squirrel near south Alfred and Wolfe Streets on Facebook. Female squirrels have one or two litters per year, with two to three young per litter. The young are born helpless with eyes closed for about a month. Unlike chipmunks, gray squirrels are active in the winter and typically move within about 200 yards daily, according to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. They have a range of calls — warning barks, chucks, mews, purrs and tooth chattering, for example. Living with Squirrels As rodents, squirrels have a pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws that they must wear down so the incisors do not become overgrown. Their chewing can damage outdoor furniture, siding, roofs and wiring. Homeowners may find chewed off, leafy twigs like hollies on the ground. Squirrels have been known to disable vehicles by chewing filters, wires, hoses, plastic and other car parts. Mount Vernonite Cindy Brack was a victim of squirrel nibbling on her car’s wiring. Squirrels for Dinner? Over 40 million squirrels are harvested every year in the U.S., according to the Fairfax County Park Authority. Squirrels have historically been part of Indigenous and U.S. cuisine, with squirrel gravy a beloved dish in some southern kitchens. Springdale, Arkansas, has an annual World Champion Squirrel Cook-off. Squirrels are “cute funny, silly, sad, heartwarming, aggravating, … adorable, destructive, clever, maddening, evil critters,” wrote Kelly. “And that’s why there is a Squirrel Week.” It seems like every week is squirrel week.
Tips on living with squirrels, https://wildlifecenter.org.