Moles.

All winter long, I was wondering what those molehills were; not being native to this area, but to Europe, I would have said they were due to moles if I lived in the UK, but here? They could be anything for all I knew. Gophers, perhaps. Giant termites. Anything.

Anyway, the mystery was solved today, when I caught one accidentally while filling a pot with home-made compost. One of the chunks squeaked and quickly re-buried itself.

So here it is, in all its glory; an Almaden Valley mole.

Moles eat worms, grubs, insects and so on, mainly, so they won't be attacking my plants directly. They will, however, cut down on some pests - grubs, slugs, snails - and till and aerate the soil. So this little new acquaintance went back into the compost pile.

What you see of the tail in the picture is all there is; about an inch. Spade-shaped front paws, big nose. Lovely fur.