By Larry Halverson/Friends of Kootenay

Many of us had the good fortune on Thanksgiving of eating until our bellies were full. And this golden-mantled ground squirrel seems to be doing the same. It was feeding  Penstemon ellipticus seeds at around 7,000 feet (2,100 metres) above sea level in Kootenay National Park.

It is fun making notes on what different animals eat. Among the favorite items in golden-mantled ground squirrel’s diet are the seeds of pine and fir, mushrooms, clover leaves, dandelion flowers, rosehips, strawberries, gooseberries, chokecherries and grain.
Above photo: October 1, 2012 golden-mantled ground squirrel – Photo by Alan Dibb

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