That Huge Ball of Leaves in Pennsylvania Trees Isn’t a Birds Nest

This may blow your mind.

I thought I knew what that big ball of leaves in my tree was. A bird's nest, right?

Boy, was I wrong!

There are a ton of trees in Pennsylvania....millions if not billions. And, that number is growing quickly.

I was just reading online about a tree-planting initiative throughout the state. The plan is to plant 10 million new trees by 2025.

It's called the Keystone 10 Million Tree Partnership, K10 for short. The 10 million trees would be what's needed for a 50,000-acre forest.

The trees would help to clean up the Chesapeake Bay and more. Check out the details on the project by clicking here. 

Wherever there are trees there are critters present. No surprise, right?

I'm sure you could easily spot deer, birds, raccoons, groundhogs (which always find their way under my shed), snakes, insects, squirrels, and so much more.

You may have noticed the big balls of leaves in some trees and thought, "Oh that must be a bird's nest of some sort."

It's more likely to be a squirrel's nest. What? I know, I hadn't heard of this before either.

I had no idea that squirrels made nests.

Another name for a squirrel's nest is a "drey."  It's typically made up of sticks and dry leaves on the outside and softer pine needles or moss on the inside.

Dreys are usually high up in trees and where squirrels sleep, which is why the inside is softer. Squirrels want to be comfortable when they sleep too. Ha ha.

Squirrels also go into their dreys for protection, especially females when they have baby squirrels.

So, they next time you see one of these dreys, you'll know what they are and not automatically assume they were built by birds.