So I decided that it was time the wonderful mole in a hole got a look in on our wildlife column. I know some folk think of them as pests but really how is that fair when the most harm they can cause you is by ruining your emulate lawn with a few little soil holes?
Nature is not perfect and having perfect tidy gardens is not nice for our nature or natural in any way so I say down with the mole hating, lawn obsessed folk. I mean just look at that face and those huge hands- they are adorable! So what are these funny looking creatures?-Moles are small mammals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle. They have cylindrical bodies, velvety fur, very small, inconspicuous ears and eyes and short, powerful forelimbs with large paws adapted for digging. While moles may be viewed as pests, they do provide many positive contributions to the soil, gardens, and the ecosystem, including soil aeration, feeding on slugs and other small creatures that do eat plant roots, and providing prey for other wildlife.
The saying “don’t make a mountain out of a molehill” comes from Middle English,
moles were known as moldwarp. The expression was first recorded in Tudor times. And moles are really pretty awesome creatures- they have been found to tolerate higher levels of carbon dioxide than other mammals, because their blood cells have a special form of haemoglobin that has a higher affinity to oxygen than other forms. This means they can carry out underground breathing with total efficiency. And did you know that moles have extra thumps? Moles have polydactyl forepaws; each has an extra thumb (also known as a prepollex) next to the regular thumb which makes it easier to dig through soil quickly and without difficulty.
A mole's diet primarily consists of earthworms and other small invertebrates found in
the soil. The mole runs are in reality "worm traps", the mole sensing when a worm falls into the tunnel and quickly running along to kill and eat it. Breeding season for a mole depends on species, but is generally February through May. Males search for females by letting out high- pitched squeals and tunneling through foreign areas. Their average lifespan is three years.
Apart from the breeding season, moles lead solitary lives so one animal could be responsible for the visible activity over quite a large area. Vacant tunnel systems are often re-colonised by another mole from an adjacent area. Because they spend most of their life’s underground which is why few of us have ever seen one in person-this means that their eye sight is extremely poor because they are always in the dark but they are not technically blind.
They are also coloured blind and in fact can only see light and shapes but no detail at all. Instead they use little movement and scent sensors on the tip of their nose to find prey and other moles.
They are phenomenal diggers and can shift 540 times their own body weight of earth and tunnel up to 200 metres per day. Since they are rarely more than 150mm in length, weighing in at between 110-120 grams, this is one mean feat. Moles are industrious hard workers.
So the next time you see a mole hill in your garden, don’t get annoyed, just think how lucky you are to have a mole in a hole in your garden and consider it a honour! Plus it means your soil is healthy which means you must be doing something right!
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