Fairy Diddles In the Trees and a Poem

A few weeks ago my daughter mentioned that she was watching the Fairy Diddles. I thought...what in the world is she talking about? She went on to explain that they were tiny, tiny little red squirrels. I had to find out more about these little creatures. Checking on different websites this is what I found....They live in little groups and can be seen gliding from branch to branch in tall trees. My daughter says that she can hear them "talking" with little tiny chitter chatter sounds. It's almost like they are up there just watching her down on the ground and talking about it. They will find a wren house and make the 1 1/8th in hole larger and live in it.They are also fond of woodpecker holes. They move so quickly that it's hard to distinguish them from a bird sometimes. They are very protective of their trees...we found this out on Sunday morning while eating breakfast. We were sitting at the table by the window. I looked out and saw a tiny little creature on one of the branches...watching us eat. I asked LA if it was a Fairy Diddle. She checked, just as it moved, and told me yes. It seems a gray squirrel came over to the pecan tree, where the FD was sitting, and tried to climb up. We saw leaves rustling and then the gray squirrel came down and went on to find another spot. They don't really fly...they glide. They need a habitat with tall trees. Trees are their highways. They find food in the deciduous forests.....acorns, nuts, seeds, berries fungi, and bark of trees. They have found a haven at her home...all the good things to eat, tall, tall trees, and a home that is quiet and undisturbed.She says that sometimes, when she comes home, she feel like she is the trespasser. She comes back every couple of weeks to enjoy this natural spot. I wondered how they survive the winter and found that they store huge amounts of nuts for winter. I read that as many as 15,ooo nuts will be saved by one Fairy Diddle. No wonder they are so busy!Here's my daughter on a misty Sunday morning. She is calling, "Here Fairy Diddle." I put myself in this situation. I could just imagine me, out by my woods, calling "Here Fairy Diddle," and my neighbors hearing this and thinking, to themselves, she's lost her marbles!
These charming little creatures seldom live through their first winter. If they survive they live for just a few years. Their large eyes let them have good night time vision. I wish that we had these little guys, but I guess I'll have to enjoy the search for them in Wisconsin.

Fairy Diddles by Balisha for La

Fairy Diddle in the trees...looking down at me,

Little creatures with big eyes...seeing what they see.

Keeping watch for other squirrels and chasing them away..

Tiny little Fairy Diddle...never wants to play.

Busy gathering acorns and stashing them in places..

Furry little bodies and tiny little faces.

Little tiny furry thing sitting in the tree..

Watching everything that moves and looking down at me.

Thankyou for the joy of watching you each day..

I'm glad you came to visit and show your charming ways.

I hope you like my acorns and trees so very tall...

I'll watch you glide from tree to tree and never fear you'll fall.

And when the winter snows appear... I'll think of you so near..

You'll hide in holes and houses until the Spring appears.

And when the first bud pops... on branches in the trees...

I'll look for you once more just gliding on the breeze.

Balisha