The main campus of the University of Louisville has long been home to a colony of albino squirrels, an inherited genetic anomaly. The squirrels are white, with red eyes. It is considered good luck for a student to see one or more of the albino squirrels on the way to an exam. Pure superstition, but I did well taking a long walk across campus on the way to exams.
Most squirrels in North America are grey. Grey squirrels were imported into Great Britain, I have no idea why. Probably as retaliation for Britain sending starlings to North America. The Grey squirrels have proven to be aggressive, squeezing out the native Red Squirrels. Sorry! The Reds are prettier.
I was on a walk in Old Town Alexandria on one of our warm early spring days, and saw the black squirrel above. A rare sight. And he let me take a couple of photos before scampering up the backside of a tree and out of sight.
My grandfather was a hunter. After World War II, my grandmother refused to cook squirrel. She said it was too much work, for to little. I will eat almost anything. I don't think I have ever tried squirrel.
I suppose the black is a variation of the grey.
ReplyDeleteHe/she had very nice color.
DeleteI have never had squirrel... and never will.
ReplyDeleteThey are fun to watch.
DeleteI've never eaten squirrel either, and don't think I ever will. I know that some people eat them. As far as I know, the North American gray squirrel has not become established in France. I hope it won't. We have red squirrels here in Saint-Aignan but we don't see many.
ReplyDeleteThe reds are pretty. I see almost no rabbits here.
ReplyDeleteWe have red squirrels here in Western Canada. I never saw a black squirrel until I was an adult and visited Eastern Canada. I didn't even know they existed, so it was a surprise.
ReplyDeleteThe world is filled with surprises.
DeleteI had a friend in California who lived in the mountains with her uncle and one night at dinner, as they were eating, she said the meat was good, and asked what it was. He told he "thought" it was racoon but had been hit by a car so badly it was hard to tell. ROADKILL!!!! She ate roadkill!
ReplyDeleteTexas truck hunting.
DeleteI think your ****ing grey squirrels were imported by some of our ****ing aristocrats. Now we see them everywhere - even one or two in our garden but for the first twenty years of our residence here (1989 - 2009) we never saw a single one of the ****ers. Greedy little ***t**ds!
ReplyDeleteMethinks they are not amongst your favorite rodents. 🐒🐒🐒 (my emoji set didn't have a squirrel; this is as close as I could get)
DeleteWe will gladly take back all of squirrels if you will take in a President.
DeleteI don't mind squirrels and always have a couple in my yard. I wouldn't eat one, tho!
ReplyDeleteThey are natures natural clowns,
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