Photo by Henrique Pacheco
Northern Flying Squirrel
The squirrel you may never see.
Northern Flying Squirrels, also known as Glaucomys Sabrinus, are one of three members of their species, with a range from Canada to North Carolina and west to Utah. These rodents are different from their more common non-flying cousins that raid bird feeders with comical acrobatics. The flying squirrels are strictly nocturnal, so you may never see them as they scavenge through the forests, mate, and raise litters. Their nocturnal habits make them difficult to count, so their population numbers are erratic. The loose skin folds between their front and hind legs allow them to leap from branches, spread the folds, and glide for some distance; however, they are uncoordinated walkers as the skin folds are bulky.
The Northern variety averages between 8-12 inches in length and weighs about two ounces. They feed on a variety of plants as well as acorns, carrion, bird eggs and nestlings, fungi, and tree sap. They change nests frequently, although in winter they may band together in a single nest for warmth.
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What do you love about this particular creature?
What do they reveal to you about God and our faith?
Flying squirrels have been given a unique gift by their creator, the ability to glide from tree to tree to ground, fulfilling their purpose here on Earth. Yet with the gift of aerodynamics comes the cost of an awkward gait as they walk along the ground and branches. God gives each of us a gift--the gift of life itself. What we do with that gift, how we use it, depends on us.
Are we selfish with it and walk around hugging it to ourselves, or do we open ourselves wide to use God's gift for the common good of all around us? We get to choose--do we stumble or soar?
Author - The Rev. Diana Rogers
Diana Rogers is an Episcopal priest serving Christ Church Middle Haddam, CT, and ministry networks in Connecticut and Province I involved in justice and advocacy for Indigenous Peoples and creation care.
Holy One, you made the wind and water to cool the heat of the sun, and nurture all creation: Lift your creatures great and small to fly with the Holy Spirit, arms and paws and wings and fins wide open to embrace the goodness of the whole Earth through your exuberant eternal love; in the name of Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God for ever and ever.