Colleagues in Slovakia plant trees for ground squirrels

Slovakian ground squirrels mainly live in cattle pastures. One particular area are the hillsides near the village of Kuchyna, at the foot of the Little Carpathians. Ground squirrels mainly eat grasses and herbs and usually thrive in low-cut / mowed / grazed grassland. It is true that orchards or scattered trees throughout an area can be an important source of food for the ground squirrels. Ground squirrels can take advantage of fallen fruits such as apricots, cherries and even walnuts. Planting fruit trees in these areas can, therefore, be very important, not only for ground squirrels, but for other species such as birds or insects which will also benefit from the tree as a place of safety, home or source of food. These trees can also be of benefit to local people, be it shade, a beautiful vista or sweet fruit.

You can read more about this action on the Daphne website, our partner in the project “Sousliks for Landscape, Landscape for sousliks”.