Mole

The other day I came across a molehill. It was only a fairly small one which means that the soil beneath is lovely and deep. Large molehills usually grouped together are known as fortresses – these occur when the soil is fairly shallow or in areas that may have a propensity to flood. These molehills are often quite high.

Molehill

Moles spend their life underground so the molehill is usually the only sight the majority of people see – but just occasionally, if you see a molehill being formed you may be lucky enough to catch sight of a little pink nose. Moles live from between one to three years. The female mole is known as a sow and the male as a boar and a small group of moles are referred to as a labour – a very apt name as they are such construction experts and extremely hard working. Their saliva has the ability to paralyze small creatures such as earthworms – this is necessary as they hold the worms between their paws and push out all of the soil and sediment in the worms guts before eating them. They will also eat fly and beetle larvae and very occasionally have been known to catch a passing mouse!