This is Phil: my resident backyard chipmunk. He’s a very busy little guy, sprinting around my yard all day making chipmunk size ditches in my potted plants, burying things he will probably forget about, etc.
Last year, my wildlife camera caught Phil doing something that immediately caught my attention…
Eating a spotted lantern fly.
Fast forward to this morning. I look out the window and—OH HI, PHIL. He’s sitting on my patio looking ridiculously pleased with himself.
And what is he eating?
A spotted lantern fly.
Naturally, I consulted the wildly inconsistent internet. Last year it basically shrugged. This year it confidently informs me:
“Yes, chipmunks do eat spotted lanternflies on occasion, though it is not a primary part of their regular diet.”
On occasion?
WTF PHIL.
Now I have questions.
Is he hunting them down like the tiny predator he is? Does he only eat the dead ones? Is he scavenging little lantern fly carcasses? Is he out there providing free pest control while the rest of us (AKA me) are filling spray bottles and questioning our sanity? Are the house sparrows and gray catbirds even part of this?!
The investigation continues…
🐿️🔎
ZOE ANN LARSON 