Falls Trail Tour - Stop 10

An Abert's Squirrel munches on a pine cone. Their ear tufts are more pronounced in the winter.

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Abert’s squirrels, with their tufted ears and long white tails, are one common inhabitant here. Abert’s squirrels live near ponderosa pines, which provide an important food source for the squirrels. They will turn the cones slowly, much as you may rotate an ear of corn as you eat it, peeling away the cone scales to reach the seeds. The squirrel also eats the new buds and inner bark of the ponderosa.

You may think this would be bad for the ponderosas. But, as the squirrel eats the cones, it also eats ectomycorrhizal fungi. This fungi is very beneficial to ponderosa pines, helping the trees retain water. So the Abert's squirrels serve a vital function, spreading the spores of this important fungi.