If you enjoy watching squirrels and chipmunks in the yard, it helps to know what they really like to eat, what is safe to offer, what to avoid, and what kinds of trees and shrubs can support them more naturally over time.
Squirrels and chipmunks are some of the most entertaining little backyard visitors, but they do not need junk food, salty snacks, or random leftovers. They do best with a mix of natural food, a little safe supplemental feeding, nearby water, and some cover close to where they eat.
In our yard, they clearly love seed, corn, nuts, and easy little places to perch and grab food. The trick is offering things that are simple and safe, then adding plants and trees that help feed them more naturally too.
Good news: every one of these questions gets answered right below, along with some real backyard photos of the little critters we are talking about.
If you want to offer a little extra food, keep it plain and simple. The best rule is raw, unsalted, and unseasoned.
If you want to support squirrels and chipmunks in a more natural way, planting the right trees, shrubs, and berry patches can do a lot more long term than just tossing out food.
My favorite kinds for this are serviceberry, elderberry, mulberry, crabapple, and raspberry or blackberry edges, because they feel useful, wildlife friendly, and realistic for a backyard or cabin property.
These little critters also like a place that feels safe. Brush piles, wood edges, log piles, shrubs, and little feeding spots near cover help them relax and use the area more naturally. Fresh water nearby helps too.
The goal is not to make them dependent on handouts. It is more about giving them a yard that feels welcoming, useful, and alive.
Yes, plain raw unsalted peanuts are one of the simplest safe foods to offer in moderation.
No, it is better to skip salted, flavored, oily, or heavily roasted snack peanuts.
Yes, plain dry corn is okay in moderation, but it should not be the only thing you offer all the time.
Small bits of plain fruit are okay once in a while, but keep it simple and do not leave messy spoiled scraps sitting around.
Serviceberries, mulberries, elderberries, blackberries, raspberries, crabapples, and a little fallen fruit can all help.
It is best not to feed bread. It fills them up without really helping much.
Avoid salted nuts, candy, chips, crackers, sugary foods, spicy snacks, and moldy food.
Berry shrubs, crabapples, serviceberries, elderberries, mulberries, hazelnuts, and oaks are all better long-term helpers.
Yes. Fresh water nearby helps just as much as food, especially in warm weather.
Both can help, but planting food sources and giving them safe habitat usually does more over the long run.