This post has 5 photographs and accompanying text which can be viewed as a slideshow.
Hello! I am a vole.
I am very small.
And live underground.
![I am very cute. But if many like me live in an area, we can be very destructive to plants (we eat their roots and they die!). In small numbers, we are beneficial. Like other burrowing rodents, we disperse nutrients through upper soil layers and are food for many predators. [The human who is speaking for me learned this on Wikipedia.]](https://myrsbytes.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/img_9311b.jpg?w=324&h=261 "IMG_9311b")
I am very cute. But if many like me live in an area, we can be very destructive to plants (we eat their roots and they die!). In small numbers, we are beneficial. Like other burrowing rodents, we disperse nutrients through upper soil layers and are food for many predators. [The human who is speaking for me learned this on Wikipedia.]
This is one of the entrances to my tunnels. Down the hole goes the vole!
Oh, so cute, but terrifyingly destructive in my garden!
LikeLiked by 1 person
So I’ve heard. I guess they need to be kicked out like the garden gnomes in the Harry Potter books. Hopefully there are a few places where they can go about their business without bothering anybody.
LikeLiked by 1 person
….we don’t (yet) have these creatures, so it looks like something straight out of an illustrated children’s storybook
LikeLiked by 1 person
They do remind me of the little illustrated mice in one of my favourite children’s books. Except they aren’t wearing cute little clothes :-).
LikeLike
Aw! I love these little guys. Fortunately, so do several predators 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
They do have really high reproduction rates :-)!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a cutie! But just like toddlers, they’re adorable to look at, but can be a real terror, right? 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, uber-cute little terrors :-). Except they are sneaky, quiet, underground terrors…
LikeLike
Great post as usual — I really like the special slideshow format!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks M :-). I do like slideshows for telling photo-stories. But sometimes I worry that it is hard for some people to see. For example, they can’t be viewed in the WordPress Reader.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve never noticed. When I click to view your posts from the Reader, the link to takes me directly to your site.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad it has never been a problem for you :-)! My posts used to have the option of being read in full in the special Reader full view. I didn’t like the way this displayed photo galleries so I changed my settings and now other WordPress bloggers are forced to go to my site to view the full post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Although I’ve never tinkered with those settings for my site, I do think it’s a good idea–especially for one with several photos.
LikeLiked by 1 person
These are great photos, Myriam! 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Jill :-). I was standing still to watch some chickadees and suddenly I noticed some voles two feet away.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great capture! I’ve found voles to be quite difficult to photograph–shy, ducking away quickly. Great post Myriam.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Jet :-). I guess I got lucky. This one didn’t mind me as long as I stayed still and more than 3 feet away, otherwise it would disappear into its tunnel for a little while.
LikeLike