Molehill

Name: Molehill

Scientific name: Talpa europaea

Category: Tracks and signs

Nature Stars: 20

What are nature stars?

About:

Molehills are actually leftover soil from when moles are digging or repairing their burrows. This means you usually find molehills above the line of a burrow. Sometimes gardeners and farmers consider moles and molehills to be a pest. Molehills can spoil the look of a nicely mown grassy lawn and for farmers molehills can cause problems in fields where grass or crops are growing. However the fine soil that molehills are made of can be good for gardening and it is sometimes used by gardeners who need very fine soil.

How to identify: Look for a small mound of recently excavated earth.

Where:

If you see a small brown pile of earth in some grass - chances are its a molehill.

Fantastic fact: A mole can dig up to 20m of tunnel a day.