IM000606

Squirrel Drey Query

Most people recognize a squirrel nest, called a drey, when they see one. The eastern gray squirrels in our region build dreys in trees for shelter and protection from the elements. What you see as a messy clump of leaves is actually a structure formed from sticks and then lined with leaves and other materials to make it a dry and cozy home.

This month I was walking around my neighborhood in Chicago, and I noticed that three out of four squirrel dreys on my street were located on branches that reach over the street. I had to ask myself why squirrels would build their homes in such a dangerous place.  If the squirrel or its babies fell out, they would not only land on hard concrete but also risk being hit by a car!  Are my neighborhood squirrels somehow related to the Three Little Pigs?

Since I know that is not the case, I started to speculate:

Perhaps squirrels are attracted to that particular view. Maybe thermal currents rising from the asphalt make that spot warmer than a branch over a lawn. Could it be that this spot also puts their predators at risk and therefore is actually a safer place to live? I don’t know!

So, I started looking around to see if there was a pattern in locations of squirrel dreys. To date, my findings are inconclusive. While searching for squirrel dreys, I did notice two other interesting things I would like to share.

PHOTO: This close up of a squirrel drey has an arrow pointing to the green plastic sticking out of the bottom of the drey.
Look carefully to see the bit of green plasting in this photo of a drey.

First, there are fewer squirrel dreys on the Learning Campus than there are in my neighborhood. I suspect that is because the Garden is home to our friend the red-tailed hawk (from a previous blog post) and other predators that are more scarce around my home.

Second, I found a squirrel drey at the Garden that was built with something unusual. If you look carefully in the picture, you will see a green material, possibly shredded plastic like Easter basket grass, sticking out of the bottom. Now, I wonder where it found that! This drey is located on the Garden’s entrance road, near the entrance to the Barbara Carr Administrative Center, before you reach the Gatehouse. You will only notice it if you are looking at squirrel dreys as carefully as I am.

PHOTO: The same drey seen from another angle shows the green plastic.
The green plastic is circled in this view of the squirrel drey.

Take a look at the squirrel dreys around your home, nearby parks, and at the Garden. Are the the squirrels building over the road in your area? Have you seen a squirrel enter or leave a drey? What is the strangest material they have used to build it? If you notice any patterns, post a comment in this blog.


©2012 Chicago Botanic Garden and my.chicagobotanic.org

Published by

Kathy J.

Kathy J. has been learning and teaching kids about nature for more than 20 years. She collects bugs, watches squirrels, does not get a rash from poison ivy, practices “snacker” behavior in winter, and is always on alert for interesting plants and animals. When she’s not watching something in the trees or spending time with her teenage daughters, she’s overseeing programs for teachers and students at the Garden.

5 thoughts on “Squirrel Drey Query”

  1. The squirrel living in my courtyard used chunks of foam harvested from of my neighbors bicycle seat.

  2. Right out my back room window, I watch the drey that was built above my neighbor’s deck. It’s close to one of the best food sources: my pear tree. :( They got lots of good ones this year!

  3. I have watched them trying to build one several times but the branches and leaves kept falling down and I had to rake it all up…they picked a very skinny crook in the tree and it wouldn’t hold the material…they finally gave up and went next door to my neighbors tree..

  4. Since writing this post, I have learned that squirrel dreys are temporary. They build them and use them until they start falling apart, become infested with fleas, or other things that make them unusable. Then they build another one. The cluster of dreys over the road in my neighborhood were probably all built by the same silly squirrel. I love that one creature used foam from a bike seat as nesting material. In a future post I’m going to show you how to provide interesting nesting materials for birds.

Comments are closed.