Moles or water?

[StageLeft]

OK look at this picture:

I found this a couple of weeks ago after an aggressive thaw; high temps and a ton of melting snow. I assumed it was water finding its way under the snow and making a river on my lawn. You can ignore the sump pump outlet there; my sump hardly ever runs. Also, these "spider web" things exist in neighbors yard here and there, too.

So I was talking to some neighbors talking about the river and one guy said it's actually caused by moles. I thought he was joking, but he's not. Another neighbor believes it's moles, too. There are moles here--they see them, but frankly I think that's ridiculous. I don't see a mole borrowing at the top of the grass between the grass and snow, it frankly sounds absurd.

Can we get a consensus here?

BTW one other neighbor of mine also thinks it's water.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

earfquake

 

[stephenw22]

It might be trails left by voles. A vole looks like a mouse, but the tail's a little shorter. It builds tunnels in the ground (during the summer months). In winter, they will dig their tunnels just above the ground, in the snow, and even throughout a snowbank. As they build tunnels, they eat the grass right down to the ground. As the snow melts, you can sometimes see the trails (and dens, and droppings) in the snowbanks themselves.

Last year was particularly bad in my area for voles, and they destroyed a few sections of my yard. I'm still waiting for the snow to go away in my yard this year to see if it's better or worse than last year.

 

[TheUnk]

u r screwed, sell

 

[daw123]

I would say that was caused by a burrowing animal. Whether it is moles, voles or whatever, I'm not sure.

 

[Jumpem]

Moles (or voles?). I get the same thing after the snow melts.

 

[StageLeft]

Hell so my neighbors really are right!

 

[Locut0s]

Frost. At least that's what I'd say. For one Moles would make mounds not indentations. For another I don't think mole tunnels are that intricate, have that many small twists and turns, nor are that narrow. Nor that I actually know what I'm talking about that's just my opinion.

Scratch that lol. Just did a search on vole tunnels and they DO look a fair amount like that.

 

[geno]

That is one aggressive thaw.

 

[StageLeft]

Frost. At least that's what I'd say. For one Moles would make mounds not indentations. For another I don't think mole tunnels are that intricate, have that many small twists and turns, nor are that narrow. Nor that I actually know what I'm talking about that's just my opinion.

Scratch that lol. Just did a search on vole tunnels and they DO look a fair amount like that.

I know, it sounded like horsesh*t but I am now inclined to believe it really is voles after all. I found online also:

Voles may clip grass and create surface runways in lawns under a layer of snow. The trail systems disappear quickly once the grass begins to grow in the spring and the lawn is not harmed.

Thanks, guys!

 

[Iron Woode]

either mice or meadow voles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meadow_vole

here in Ontario this is very common to see in suburban areas, particularly if people live near open fields or flood plain land.

 

[silverpig]

Looks like voles. Not moles though. Generally they make fairly straight paths.

 

[PsiStar]

vole == cordless mouse

I think it is voles in your yard. This next season try cutting the grass very short on last cut. Would probably discourage any little vermin coming close to the house & consequent unwanted cold weather guests.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Avogadrowned!

Saxomophone (6022)

 

[Matthiasa]

Voles probably, same thing happens here, oh yeah and they do dig large holes into the ground that you might want to fill in as well.

Normally they would hit a larger area then that.

 

[olds]

Burrowing animals make tunnels.
Rivlets are caused by erosion.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_thompson/4078246839/

 

[El Guaraguao]

2012