Suddenly this spring I am finding all of these one inch size holes in the ground with what appears to be pressed down grass where something is going in and out of them.
I do have moles, but these holes are too small for them. I have also noticed chipmunks in greater numbers this year, but I think the holes are even too small for them.
I can’t imagine there are that many snakes around either. The first holes I found seemed to correspond though to previous tunnels made by moles, that were taken over and converted by this mystery animal.
We have a little critter here called a 13 lined ground squirrel. Similar to a chipmunk but more prolific, at least here.They make holes like that by the hundreds all over my property. In a year where they are really bad, then the following year tends to be a good year for snakes.
If it’s not cicada emergence holes - some portions of the state are experiencing a 17-yr brood emergence (thankfully, east of me!) - crawfish burrows would be the most likely, here. Not all will have the ‘chimney’… I’d say that in my yard, only one in ten has a chimney, the rest are just holes in the ground, 1-1.5" diameter.
Some are mud bugs / land lobsters if they push up a chimney around the hole. Other holes are probably snakes and mainly the lined snake which are a non venomous gater family snake. We have both here.if you have a trail cam, you can find out forsure.
Sciencetific stuff…
Digger Crayfish (Fallicambarus fodiens)
it’s a primary burrowing Crayfish species that spends most of its life below ground. It is found across eastern and southern Illinois, but given its burrowing behavior, it is only occasionally encountered. The species digs a complex system of tunnels and chambers in low lying floodplain regions.
They mainly come out at night. My pup likes to pick them up and bring them to me.
I have lots of holes of varying kinds. The bigger ones are shallow and I assume are where something is digging out the nuts they buried last year. As they went into the pots I had Bl Walnut seedlings in, I think somebody around here likes them when they sprout, but before they send down a significant taproot.
As fragrant as young leaves are, I assume some critters can smell them when the shells finally crack.