BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) â Lila Meuchelâs neighbors keep trying to eat her plants.
Itâs not the human neighbors of her ground-floor Gateway Avenue condo that are causing problems, but a population of Richardsonâs ground squirrels that live in an empty lot next to her building, across from the Gateway Mall.
The nearby lot is dotted with holes that the squirrels dart out of, some of which have plastic bottles stuffed into them. Meuchel said she has put some of the bottles there to prevent the ground squirrels from digging. Trails in the grass lead away from the burrows and toward the condo buildings, and there was even a hole behind the buildingâs air conditioning unit. About a half-dozen of the animals were scurrying through the lot or sitting perched on top of a small hill one morning. The Richardsonâs ground squirrels, also known as flickertails, arenât afraid of people, she said. Sometimes, sheâll sit outside and spray at them with her hose to keep them away.