Today is #SquirrelAppreciationDay, a “day” on the calendar that I think all of us can “observe.” I say this because it seems like squirrels cover this entire nation. I have never lived in a place or visited a location for an extended period of time and not seen squirrels. Like them or hate them, they are all over!

This is what a University of Montana squirrel looks like.

However, the cool thing is that squirrels vary greatly. With more than 200 species, there is plenty of variety. This diversity plays itself out across the country, or even just across county lines. I mentioned that squirrels have inhabited every town I have lived in but by no means are they all the same. If I was knocked out cold and had no idea where I was at, I would immediately come to my senses and know my location if a squirrel moseyed by. I would look at its size, fur color, movement, and tail and immediately know the town I was in.

Myrtle Beach is home to some pretty gnarly looking squirrels.

Those who have spent time in higher education could identify a college campus based on a squirrel. Universities are havens for these rodent-ish animals that become part of an institution’s culture. There is just something about the cute appearance and social nature of a squirrel that endears itself to students. Everyone loves to make specialty brackets during March Madness and I think it is about time that a bracket is created for the squirrels of our favorite universities. Trust me, people would become very invested.

One day I looked out my office window and saw this guy just chilling out!

I don’t have any personal great squirrel stories to tell other than we fed them growing up. We would place peanuts on my parents’ back yard deck that connected to our house and watch them up close through a glass sliding door. Because we have always had cats, a few squirrels are buried out back. Although I don’t have any crazy tales to write about, I have simply enjoyed watching squirrels do their thing over the years.

Happy #SquirrelAppreciationDay! Gotta love the Coastal Carolina University squirrels!

Do you have a squirrel story to tell? Please don’t hold back. In the meantime, make sure to throw out a couple extra nuts for your resident squirrels tonight. Don’t Blink.