Squirrels Raid First Lady’s Garden
Shutdown keeps vegetables on the vine
Get full access to Outside Learn, our online education hub featuring in-depth fitness, nutrition, and adventure courses and more than 2,000 instructional videos when you sign up for Outside+.
First Lady Michelle Obama’s White House garden is the latest victim of furloughs at the National Parks Service during the partial federal government shutdown. Squirrels have overrun the 1,500 square-foot plot on the South Lawn, eating ripening mushrooms, tomatoes, and peppers.
“Right now, the many squirrels who live at the White House seem to have gotten even more aggressive,” writes Eddie Gehman Kohan on her Obama Foodorama blog. “They’re now kids in a candy story, gorging themselves.”
When the shutdown began, NPS gardeners were ordered to only water and remove trash, although fallen leaves don’t constitute “trash.” Trimming, fertilizing, transplanting, and mowing the grass have also stopped.
What’s in Michelle Obama’s Garden?
- Artichokes
- Okra
- Sweet Potatoes
- Tomatos
- Lettuce
- Squash
- Peppers
- Turnips
- Kale
- Garlic
- Carrots
- Jalapeños
- Rutabaga
- Chili peppers
- Exotic herbs
- Basil
- Collard greens
- Papaya
