voles or moles?

[Ernie O'Byrne]

I wish that it were so, Scott. I was chagrined and horrified to learn
recently that moles do, indeed, eat vegetation, mostly plant roots. I highly
recommend _Of Moles and Men: The Battle for the Turf_ by Patrick H.
Thompson. It is a very good read. He is an entertaining writer and quotes
sources. It is available from the author at aardvarkavanti at msn.com or
www.molemeister.com (I have no relationship with the author)

Here is the relevant data:

"Moore (1933) reported that 57% or 24 of 42 Townsend's Moles contained plant
materials. Further studies of stomach contents from 200 specimens of this
species taken throughout the year in western Oregon showed that 81% of those
animals consumed no less than 200 to 1800 mgs of vegetation, a quantity
which could hardly be considered incidental. The average mole in that sample
consumed 7% earthworms and 28% vegetable matter or 1000 mgs of vegetation;
some 12% consumed half of their bulk in vegetable matter. Most vegetation
consisted of plant roots in 5-10 mm sections the size of "the largest half
of a flat toothpick," Pedersen found. Up to 20% of the diet, other
Oregonians later added, can be plant material (Kuhn and Edge)."

And later:

"What of the most ossified bone of contention concerning the diet of moles?
Why, the palatability of bulbs, of course. Under field conditions, Moore
documented the avidity of moles for tigridias, .... In a study of commercial
tigridia plantings near Smith River, CA, Moore found that 600 bulbs were
consumed during a 10-day period. After two Townsend's Moles were trapped in
the plots, no further damage to the remaining bulbs occurred. The two
trapped animals contained 100 and 94% bulbs in their stomachs."

Drat! At least we have moles and not gophers!

Ernie O'Byrne
Northwest Garden Nursery
86813 Central Road
Eugene, ORegon 97402
USA
USDA Z. 7B

-----Original Message-----
From: Arisaema Enthusiast Group (AEG) Discussion List (and other hardy
Aroids) [mailto:ARISAEMA-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL]On Behalf Of Scott Vergara
Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2004 7:24 PM
To: ARISAEMA-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL
Subject: Re: voles or moles?


Brian,
Moles are carnivorous and feed on grubs, earthworms and the like, perhaps
even cicada larvae.  They can damage small plants by disturbing the
rootsystem while they are tunneling, foraging for food but do not to my best
knowledge feed on any plant tissue.  In fact they can be very useful as
macroturbators of the soil, aerating and loosening it up.

The tunnels they dig however often are used by other animals,.....

<SNIP>

Happy Hunting,
Scott Vergara
Portland, Oregon