Squirrel on the Fence (gouache style)

The grey squirrel was brought to Britain from North America in the nineteenth century, and it's now the squirrel most people see. Its coat is grey, often with a brownish tinge along the back, with a pale belly and a bushy tail. The native red squirrel has retreated to Scotland, parts of northern England and Wales, and a few islands, partly because greys carry squirrelpox, which is usually fatal to reds.

Autumn is a busy season for grey squirrels. They bury nuts and acorns one at a time across lawns and borders, and the ones they forget can grow into trees. They don't hibernate, so they're active all winter, sheltering in leafy nests called dreys high in trees. If they dig up newly planted bulbs, lay chicken wire over the soil after planting in autumn. Feeders inside metal cages, or a baffle on the pole, help keep them off the bird food.

The squirrel here sits on a wooden garden fence holding a hazelnut, surrounded by autumn leaves. Fences are the roadways squirrels use to cross gardens, and autumn is when they're gathering hardest. The hazelnut makes the moment specific: the squirrel is caught just before the nut is eaten or buried, a small pause in a very busy season.