I guess I had forgotten about this banner until tonight. I grew up having these squirrels around my home and in my yards. They naturalize easily in all wooded areas; even in towns and city parks. Their upper body is a speckled black-brown-orange combination with brown under parts. Occasionally there are slight variations in color. As a child we referred to them as 'Red Squirrels' because of the orange-red color which is dominate. However the Department of Natural Resources classifies it as a fox squirrel (Sciurus niger).
My property is fairly well populated with oaks and conifers which gives them ideal habitat and food supplies. Some folks might not like them; however I enjoy them because they are very attractive and fit into my idea of 'country life'. They have caused no damage or harm to the property or gardens. In fact they are experts at acorn removal from the lawn and flower gardens (preventing oak seedlings). They also clean up any stray ears of corn from the garden patch too. We enjoy watching them play and search for acorns on the ground. And they love drinking from the bird bath too.
This is the actual photo the banner is taken from. Somehow it got reversed with the squirrel actually facing right.
This was taken in May 21, 2014 (note the dandelions in the grass).
These are photos of a different squirrel at the bird bath. Taken in October, 2017.
