On a freezing morning in Iowa this week, homeowner Jess Sherwood spotted something stirring in her freshly blanketed backyard. Beneath the thick layer of fallen snow, a creature was stirring — tunneling, unseen, through the frozen landscape like a scene from an old-timey cartoon.
“I just saw the snow moving and wasn’t sure what animal it was,” Sherwood told The Dodo. “But then he popped up, and I just started laughing.”
Sherwood captured the surprise reveal on video:
Turns out, it was a local squirrel in Sherwood’s yard who’d been doing all that tunneling. It seems he was in search of a few tasty acorns that he’d hidden in the ground when the weather had been warmer.
Sherwood, an animal lover, was delighted to observe him in action:
“I honestly thought I had to share it … because it was so funny,” she said. “Bringing a lil cheer to everyone.”
The tunneling behavior and the collecting of stashed food are among the techniques squirrels use to survive the long winter months.
But the squirrels in this backyard have another thing to thank: neighborly kindness.
To help keep the squirrels’ bellies full, Sherwood leaves out offerings of nuts all through winter. And they repay her by simply being themselves.
“They are just adorable to watch,” Sherwood said.