SQUIRRELS: Having a difficult summer

I live in a forested area of Kootenai County. Around my house are many coniferous trees. Every year I have seen the four or so types of conifers put out many cones. The squirrels cut the cones down off the trees and store them for food for the winter.

This year, however, I notice that none of the four types of cone producing trees have produced any cones. The squirrels are starving and have come to my window.

If you have squirrels in your neighborhood and can afford it, please give them a helping hand by putting out some sunflower seeds or unsalted peanuts in the shells.

I think we will have a mass starvation of squirrels. I have no idea if the conifers up higher in the mountains produced any cones, but the trees around this lake have not produced any cones and I have walked miles of roads to check. Also, squirrels will eat mushrooms, but due to dry weather, there have been none of these either. Please help them if you can.

DONNA HARVEY

Hayden

Editor’s note: The Press is working on a story about this topic for Saturday’s paper.