Moles and the Soil Ecosystem

People who own land are usually bothered by those bumps in the ground made by moles. Some people try to drown them out with garden hoses, which strikes me as a mite cruel and mean-spirited. It is easy to confuse moles, which are insectivores, with their relatives the vole and the shrew. Insectivores are not rodents, but they are similar to rodents like gophers and mice.

Eastern mole image credit: USFWS / Gary Stolz
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Just because I'm on a high horse doesn't mean I'm going to sit here and judge people for getting rid of pests, ain't no way. You way want to consider, however, that moles are actually very helpful in the upper-soil ecosystem and chow down on quite a few things that need their populations kept under control. You can also think about their amazing digging abilities. No, our Creator put them here for a purpose, even if we don't catch on at first glance.

We have probably seven species of moles in these here United States. Interesting that they are not found in South America, but not so surprising that their range does not include Antarctica. 

Moles are mostly hidden out of plain sight, but they are actually important members of God’s creation. Many people dislike moles, due to how the creatures wrinkle lawn surfaces, but the ecological benefits usually outweigh such minor yard-care nuisances.

Moles are known for digging. But how do they dig?

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And moles, like all animals, are hungry. They need food to eat! They hunt earthworms, insect grubs, and other underground prey. In doing so, they serve the subterranean near-surface soil ecosystem.

To burrow into the full article, click on "Think Twice Before Whacking a Mole".