Because the beaver isn't just an animal; it's an ecosystem!

Mysterious Beaver Delicacies


Yesterday was my first full beaver-begging day, inviting folks to donate to the silent auction at our 10th festival. There were lots of things I was eager to ask for, although asking is always a worrisome chore. It helps for me to remember a story I heard from Jon’s sister, who is a nun, and the head of a large successful school in England, but I’ll save that for another day. First, we have wonders to wonder at.

I received a lot of very gracious responses and will do my formal plugs and promotions soon, but one man I spoke too said he loved beavers and had some building dams on his farm.  I said that was admirable and he could let us know if he had troubles with them so we could connect him with answers. He said that he ran a small woodland mushroom business  and they sometimes interfered by eating his mushrooms but he wrapped trees and made piece with them.

Which naturally had me exclaiming: Beavers eat MUSHROOMS?mushroomIt used to be quite common that I would learn something new about beavers and spend the afternoon researching it. It rarely happens anymore, so this is a treat. And of course I’ve met many people who thought beavers were doing things they weren’t actually doing. But this is what I was able to find on a NPS for kids website.

Beavers eat the bark, buds, stems, and twigs of trees: aspen, maple, willow, birch, black
alder, and black cherry trees. They really like soft plant foods, too:
grasses, mushrooms,leaves, ferns and the roots of water plants are some favorite snacks. Because a beaver’s front teeth grow all the time, a beaver must constantly chew on wood to trim the teeth down.
Now I’ve heard about leaves and roots, and seen photos of them taking bracken from our Scottish friends. I knew about acorns and strawberries, but I NEVER guessed about mushrooms! Are beavers hobbits?   I guess it kind of makes sense, mushrooms like to grow in damp areas and beavers MAKE damp areas. But if it’s true do beavers ever eat the wrong mushrooms by mistake? Do all beavers eat mushrooms or is it an acquired taste? Do parents teach kits which mushrooms to avoid?
Inquiring minds want to know.

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