Douglas Squirrel

I assume the Doublas Squirrel is named for the Scottish botanist for whom the Douglas Fir gets its name—David Douglas (1799-1834). Douglas explored Scotland, North America, and died under suspicious circumstances in Hawaii. This reddish-brown bellied squirrel lives in the Pacific Northwest, from southwest British Columbia to California. Sometimes they are called Chickarees, but that name is also used for Red Squirrels, which replace Douglas Squirrels in most of the rest of North America. Douglas Squirrels prefer Old Growth and mature second-growth forests. Douglas Squirrels are “larder hoarders,” shoring food—usually fir, spruce, and pine seeds in middens. Their discarded conifer scales can pile up to over a meter across as generations of squirrels use the same midden (Wikipedia). This image was taken in our backyard when we first moved to Olympia. Note the ticks in its ear.