Chipmunks
Tamia spp.

Chipmunks are members of the squirrel family and are often mistaken for striped ground squirrels. However, chipmunks are much smaller, bear facial markings and have five blackish stripes on their backs, including a distinct central line that extends forward onto their heads. Ground squirrels have no markings on their heads. Chipmunks also have longer faces, short, rounded ears, and large internal cheek pouches.

There are twenty-one chipmunk species in North America, including one in eastern Canada (eastern chipmunk) and four in Western Canada (Townsend's, least, yellow pine, and red-tailed), although the least chipmunk is found as far east as western Quebec.

These perky little rodents live in burrows and gather food on the ground in areas where there are sufficient rocks, bushes, fallen logs, and piles of brush to shelter them. Chipmunks also inhabit hedgerows, fences, and gardens wherever the earth is porous enough for them to tunnel and cover is nearby. While chipmunks forage mainly on the ground, they are also good climbers and have been spotted high up in the branches of nut-bearing trees.

Chipmunks are strictly diurnal appearing above ground shortly after sunrise and returning to their burrows at sundown. Each chipmunk has its own burrow.

Chipmunks are very vocal animals. When alarmed they let out a sharp ‘chip' sound ending in a chatter of fright before scurrying into their burrows. Their keen sense of hearing and sight gives them ‘an edge' when trying to escape predators such as owls, hawks, coyotes, foxes, weasels, snakes, and domestic cats.

In the spring, chipmunks feed on green leaves and shoots until their main source of food – seeds and berries becomes available. They also eat insects, fruits, flowers, earthworms, and mushrooms.

To attract chipmunks to your garden consider planting a variety of fruit, nut, or seed producing trees and shrubs. Some good ones to add are beaked hazel, sweet fern, dogwoods, maples, bitternut hickory, white elm, buffalo berry, blueberries, cherries, sweet fern, raspberries, viburnums, and American basswood. You can provide them with good nesting sites by adding rock or brush piles, or old logs. Unlike squirrels, chipmunks pose few problems at bird feeders.

You'll have hours of fun watching these shy but alert little animals as they scamper about the garden stopping every once in awhile to brush their fur, wash their faces, and take dust baths.