Squirrel Appreciation Day 2027 is on Thursday

About Squirrel Appreciation Day

Squirrels are some of the most familiar wild mammals in North America, and for many children the only wild mammals they see regularly. Their reputation is mixed, since they raid bird feeders and sometimes move into attics, but they also play a real part in woodland ecology. Many tree squirrels bury nuts and seeds to eat later, and the ones they never dig up can sprout, which helps spread oaks, hickories and other trees. The squirrel family, Sciuridae, also includes chipmunks, marmots and groundhogs.

The day was created by Christy Hargrove. Her original web page from January 2002 announced the first annual Squirrel Appreciation Day for January 21, 2002, listed in Chase's Calendar of Events, and explained that she had started it, as a college student, simply so people would appreciate squirrels as energetic, comical animals that deserve a kind word. Later accounts from the National Wildlife Federation and Nature Canada give its founding year as 2001 and describe Hargrove as a wildlife rehabilitator from Asheville, North Carolina. Sources therefore differ by a year on when it began, but the founder's own page dates the first observance to 2002.

Hargrove suggested putting out unsalted sunflower seeds or unsalted peanuts and supporting local wildlife rehabilitators, who care for injured and orphaned squirrels. The National Wildlife Federation has noted that mid-January is a time when squirrels' natural food supplies are running low. The day has no official status, but nature organizations such as the National Wildlife Federation and Nature Canada have used it to share squirrel facts and backyard wildlife tips.

Sources: Christy Hargrove: Squirrel Appreciation Day, original 2002 page (archived), National Wildlife Federation: 7 Ways to Celebrate National Squirrel Appreciation Day, Nature Canada: Celebrate Squirrel Appreciation Day with 9 Surprising Facts. How we check dates.

How to mark Squirrel Appreciation Day

• Put out a small amount of unsalted, unroasted peanuts or sunflower seeds, away from your bird feeders, and watch who comes to eat.
• Donate supplies or money to a local wildlife rehabilitator that cares for orphaned and injured squirrels.
• Learn which squirrel species live near you, such as gray, fox, red or flying squirrels, and how to tell them apart.
• Set up a simple squirrel obstacle course or feeder in view of a window and photograph their climbing and jumping.
• If a squirrel has moved into your attic, contact a humane wildlife removal service rather than trapping it yourself, especially in spring when babies may be inside.

Squirrel Appreciation Day dates