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More about our AI transparencySquirrels bury nuts in autumn. Some remain in place and can become trees. Here’s how to observe this in the garden and support it.
Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) create scattered food stores in autumn. They bury hazelnuts, walnuts, acorns, beechnuts and seeds of conifers. Some of these stores are later not found again. From some of these seeds, seedlings can grow in spring. In this way, the squirrel – unintentionally – helps to spread woody plants. In this article you will learn how this behaviour works, what it means for your garden and how you can observe it.
Autumn is the time when you might see a squirrel rustling about in the garden, carrying a nut in its mouth and disappearing with it. It digs a small hole, places the nut inside and scrapes the earth back over it. This moment looks unremarkable. Yet it can be the beginning of a new tree. The thematic basis of this article – the YouTube description – describes exactly this image: a squirrel may be planting the next tree right now (YouTube description).
But what lies behind it? Why do squirrels bury nuts everywhere in autumn? And what does that have to do with your garden? This article explains the ecological connections without exaggerating. You will learn which seeds are involved, why the animals create many small hiding places and how a forgotten winter store can become a new tree.
Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) do not hibernate. That means they must become active again and again even in the cold season and take in food. This connection is explicitly mentioned in the YouTube description (YouTube description).
That is why they begin in autumn to secure energy-rich food for the coming months. These include above all:
The botanical names are examples of native species. In the YouTube description, the seeds are given only by German names (YouTube description).
These seeds provide fat and carbohydrates – energy that the squirrel needs in the winter months. Instead of storing everything in a single place, the animals distribute their stores across many individual hiding places. This behaviour is known as scatter hoarding (YouTube description).
A single large store would have a decisive disadvantage: if it were discovered by another animal, the entire winter store could be lost. Many small caches spread this risk. One nut disappears into the soil, the next under leaf litter, another under a root or in a crevice. In this way, an invisible network of stores is created across the territory (YouTube description).
For you as a garden owner, this means: in autumn you can watch squirrels digging in very different places in the garden. Sometimes in the flower bed, sometimes in the lawn, sometimes under a hedge. Every spot is a potential hiding place. The animals do not create a central storeroom, but many small individual caches.
The familiar saying about the ‘forgetful squirrel’ is only half the truth. Squirrels find a large proportion of their stores again. Orientation and smell help them do so. So they do not have to remember each individual nut like an address. Nevertheless, some caches remain undiscovered (YouTube description).
The YouTube description does not quantify exactly how many nuts are forgotten. The sources provided also contain no scientific studies that give specific figures for this behaviour. The Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung (German Wildlife Foundation) is named in the description as a source for the ecological role, but it was not available in the materials provided; the statement must therefore be regarded as unverified (YouTube description).
What can be stated is this: some of the hidden seeds remain in place. And precisely these seeds become ecologically interesting.
A buried nut is already in a fairly suitable place: in the soil. There it is protected from drying out and many external influences. If it is not eaten during winter and the seed remains viable, a seedling can emerge from it in spring (YouTube description).
Not every hidden nut becomes a tree. Many are found again, eaten, damaged or fail to germinate for other reasons. But some remain in place. In this way, squirrels can unintentionally help to spread seeds and woody plants. The German Wildlife Foundation therefore calls them ‘forgetful gardeners’ in the description (YouTube description).
For a tree there is a fundamental problem: it cannot carry its seeds a hundred metres by itself. Animals therefore take on part of this task. A squirrel picks up a nut, runs away from the parent tree with it, buries it in another place and thereby creates the very possibility of the seed germinating there (YouTube description).
The fascinating thing about this is that the squirrel does not want to plant a forest. It wants to survive the winter. And the tree naturally does not produce its nuts with the aim of feeding squirrels. Nevertheless, an ecological relationship emerges from these two different interests: nuts provide energy, squirrels transport them, some stores remain in place – and new plants can grow from them (YouTube description).
In ecology, the dispersal of seeds by animals is called zoochory. The squirrel is not a deliberate gardener but a transporter driven by its own survival interest. For the tree, this behaviour can be advantageous because its offspring can germinate in other places.
If a squirrel now buries a hazelnut in your flower bed, lawn or under a hedge, at first this looks like a completely insignificant action. Perhaps it will dig the nut up again in January. Perhaps another animal will find it. Perhaps nothing will happen at all. Or next spring you will suddenly discover a small seedling in a place where you never planted anything (YouTube description).
Then a squirrel may have taken over the gardening months earlier. You can observe this spectacle without intervening. Here are some concrete steps you can try:
The following table summarises the seeds mentioned in the YouTube description. The botanical names are examples of native species and are intended as a guide. They do not appear in the description itself.
| Seed type | Botanical name (example) | Mentioned in the description text |
|---|---|---|
| Hazelnut | Corylus avellana | yes |
| Walnut | Juglans regia | yes |
| Acorn | Quercus robur / Quercus petraea | yes (as ‘acorns’) |
| Beechnut | Fagus sylvatica | yes |
| Conifer seeds | Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies, Abies alba (examples) | yes (as ‘seeds of various conifers’) |
How many nuts are actually forgotten? The YouTube description gives no figures. The sources provided also contain no studies that substantiate specific quantities. The statement that ‘some’ caches remain undiscovered is the reliable basis (YouTube description).
Is burying harmful to my garden? It can lead to young trees germinating in unexpected places. Whether this is a problem for you depends on your gardening goals. In a wildlife-friendly garden, it can be an enrichment. If you do not want to keep a seedling, you can remove it – but first check whether the species is protected in your region.
Should I dig up the nuts? No. There is no ecological reason to destroy the squirrels’ stores. It is better to observe what happens in spring.
How can I support squirrels in the garden? By planting native woody plants, leaving leaves in place and avoiding pesticides. This creates a habitat in which squirrels can live out their natural behaviours.
What about other animals that bury nuts? Other animals such as jays (Garrulus glandarius) or mice can also hide and spread seeds. The YouTube description focuses on squirrels. Other species are not discussed there (YouTube description).
Are squirrels protected in Germany? This question is not covered in the sources provided. Clarify the protection status for your region with the responsible nature conservation authorities. As wild animals, you should not disturb or catch them in any case.
If you would like to learn more about squirrel behaviour, you can contact local nature conservation organisations, universities or wildlife stations. Make sure that information comes from scientific publications or recognised nature conservation organisations.
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All species data comes from scientific sources (CC BY 4.0 / CC0). Attribution according to licence terms. Complete source overview →
Last updated: 20/09/2026. Corrections can be reported via the feedback form.