NWF Naturalist David Mizejewski with an alligator, from the Today Show’s Instagram page.

In honor of this annual celebration of National Wildlife Federation’s 40-year-old Certified Wildlife Habitat program, I brought some “backyard wildlife” on my Today Show segment this week.  But these animals are definitely NOT the songbirds and butterflies that typically show up in a wildlife-friendly garden.

Instead, I brought species that might surprise you if you spotted them in your garden.  My goal was to let folks know that species other than birds and butterflies need our help and can benefit from wildlife-friendly gardens, and also to point out what to do to avoid conflict with some of these species.

I mean, groundhogs, alligators and beavers aren’t necessarily the most welcome species in the garden.  But two other predators I featured in the segment definitely are species you want around.

Here’s the full segment.  Watch it and then head over to our Garden for Wildlife Month page and certify your garden as wildlife-friendly with NWF!

Click here to view the embedded video.

See more of David’s TV appearances and find out where he’ll be appearing next! 

And he didn't leave to play in California next year. (Wikimedia Commons | Sector001)

It’s the only thing about the Cards’ season that was stranger than Kyle Lohse becoming a solid starter.

It’s a squirrel.

The card commemorates Game 4 of the National League Division Series, when a bushy-tailed rodent scampered in front of the hitter, Cardinals’ utilityman Skip Schumaker, just before a pitch. Umpire Angel Hernandez called it a ball, and Phillies pitcher Roy Oswalt and manager Charlie Manuel argued, because everyone knows that a squirrel on the field means an automatic timeout, right?

Anyway, the so-called ‘Rally Squirrel’ became a folk hero in St. Louis (Twitter account here; 27,000 followers) and the most famous baseball-adjacent small mammal since David Eckstein.

With Squirrel Appreciation Day just past and Groundhog Day already upon us, we thought it was a good time to salute Rally Squirrel and take a look at some other notable baseball rodents.

Unless otherwise linked, all nickname information is from the Don Zminda’s “From Abba Dabba to Zorro: The World of Baseball Nicknames.”

Orval Overall had a 2.23 career ERA. (Wikimedia Commons | EIC)

1) Roy Sievers, ‘Squirrel’

Slow, slugging former Senators’ great supposedly got this nickname as a basketball player in high school because he “(hung) around the basket like a squirrel around a tree.” Though a citation eludes me, I believe he supped on nuts, seeds and cones throughout the spring as well, hoarding and burying food so that he might revisit his caches years later.

2) Orval Overall, ‘The Big Groundhog’

Early 20^th century Cubs’ pitcher got this nickname because he was an agriculture student. Also: had a dense grey undercoat and digging claws. Alas, groundhogs may now be emerging earlier due to global warming, to their detriment—even worse than if Orval had reported for Spring Training in the middle of a Chicago blizzard (tip goes to Miles Grant for that tidbit as well as parts of this post).

3) Billy Shipke, ‘Muskrat Bill’

Old timer was almost my height/weight twin, and nobody knows what made him muskrat-like. Perhaps his well-adapted swimming tail. Though even that would probably not have helped him escape calamities like the Kalamazoo River oil spill.

Pictured: Billy Shipke during Spring Training. (flickr via Wikimedia Commons | Linda Tanner)

4) Cliff Melton, ‘Mickey Mouse’

Former New York Giant was born 100 years ago last month and had big ears. I’m surprised there aren’t more nicknames in this vein.

5) Whitey Herzog, ‘The White Rat’

Famous buzzcut Hall of Fame manager got this name for his extremely light blond hair. It’s also possible that his distinctly rat-like empathy contributed to his ability to rally a ballclub.

6) Gary Gaetti, ‘The Rat’

Slugging third-baseman got his Muroidean moniker for obvious reasons. And by that, I meant that he was omnivorous and a good burrower. What did you think I meant?

7) Don Zimmer, ‘The Gerbil’

Submitted without comment.

Honorable mentions go to to ‘Bunny’ Anthony Brief and Rabbit Maranville since rabbits aren’t true rodents but are often confused as such and often referred to together as members of the same ‘superclass.’

To learn more about squirrels, check out this blog post or the red squirrel page in our Wildlife Library.  You can find tips for sending your kids to ‘Squirrel School’ at Big Backyard.

Did I miss anyone? Tweet which of these baseball rodents (including Rally Squirrel) is your favorite using the hashtag #baseballrodents.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hmmm…I’d like to think that groundhogs wouldn’t be that annoying. Here’s what I believe they’d say:

Please don’t ask me how much wood I chuck.” – Groundhogs are also known as woodchucks. However, “woodchuck” comes from an Algonquian name for the animal, wuchak. They don’t actually toss wood.

“How you doin’?” – Contrary to popular belief, when male groundhogs emerge in February after their three-month-long hibernation, they aren’t checking on the timing of spring. Nope. They’re looking for some love.

“I’m cool as a cucumber.” – While hibernating, a woodchuck’s body temperature can drop from about 99 degrees to as low as 37. (Humans go into mild hypothermia when their body temperature drops a mere 3 degrees, lose consciousness at 82 degrees and face death below 70 degrees.)

“Where’s the salad bar?”- During warm seasons, a groundhog may pack in more than a pound of vegetation at one sitting, which is much like a 150-pound man scarfing down a 15-pound steak.

Groundhog enjoying my container garden

“Michael Phelps has nothing on me.” – In addition to being great at burrowing, groundhogs are stellar swimmers. They’re also expert tree climbers, especially when chased.

And, last but not least…

“Yes, I do like ‘Groundhog Day’, the movie.” – Well, who doesn’t love a flick starring both Punxsutawney Phil and Bill Murray?

Want to Dig Deeper?

The Truth about Groundhog Day

10 Things You May Not Know About Groundhogs

On Groundhog Day: Ten Things to Know about These Surprising Creatures

Eat Your Phil

Instead, the conversation went something like this:

ME: Hey, a woodchuck!

AUNT: I have to call the pest-control guy to take care of that.

ME: Why?

AUNT: (silence)

ME: Is it doing any damage to your yard?

AUNT: Well, no. But he shouldn’t be out there.

I’m sure my aunt had no intention of paying someone her hard-earned money to go after this woodchuck (this is a woman who has never thrown out a Thanksgiving leftover in her life). It was more a reflex, like she was embarrassed someone would see she’d allowed this pest to hang out in her yard.

I’m not a wildlife expert & I’m sure a woodchuck could be a nuisance by … I don’t know, chucking all your wood. But I always find it interesting that, even among nature lovers, animals who don’t have the homeowner’s explicit permission to enter their yard may be seen as a pest. Just ask any backyard birder how they feel about squirrels at their bird-feeders!

Check out our holiday deals that help support the National Wildlife Federation’s work to protect wildlife >>

NWF naturalist David Mizejewski will be making a live appearance on the Today Show tomorrow morning (June 23rd) to promote the Great American Backyard Campout, happening in backyards across the country this weekend, June 27th.

Dave will be interviewed by Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kopt between 10:30-11 a.m. ET for a segment about the animals you might see–or hear–during your backyard campout.

Expected On-Air Animal Talent:

• Great horned owl
• Bullfrog
• Big brown bat
• Baby opossum
• Groundhog
• Snapping turtle
• Lynx (to represent rarer animals you might see if camping in real wilderness)

Campout Links:

• Register your backyard today for the Great American Backyard Campout June 27, 2009.
• Visit Ranger Rick’s CampZone