Plant-based diet:
* Nuts: Acorns, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, beechnuts, etc. - these are their favorite!
* Seeds: Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, etc.
* Fruits: Apples, berries, peaches, pears, grapes, etc.
* Mushrooms: They'll eat a variety of fungi.
* Buds: New buds on trees provide a source of nutrition in the early spring.
* Bark: Squirrels sometimes gnaw on bark for the sap or the cambium layer underneath.
* Grains: They'll eat grains like corn, wheat, and oats, especially when available.
Animal-based diet:
* Insects: Grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, etc.
* Bird eggs: Squirrels will raid bird nests for eggs.
* Small animals: Occasionally, they may catch and eat small mammals like young mice or birds.
Interesting fact: Squirrels are known to bury nuts and seeds for later consumption. This helps them to survive during the winter months when food is scarce. They often forget where they buried some of these caches, which helps to spread trees and other plants!