Waking up to a freshly damaged lawn, marked by holes and patches of turned-over soil, points to the nighttime activity of local wildlife. Understanding which animal is responsible is the first step toward reclaiming your yard. Clues like the size and shape of the holes provide direct evidence for identifying the specific culprit foraging while you sleep.
Identifying the Most Common Nighttime Diggers
The most frequent nocturnal visitors responsible for digging damage are raccoons and skunks, both highly adaptable and widespread. Raccoons are recognized by their distinctive black mask and ringed tail. They are active between dusk and dawn, using their keen sense of smell to locate food sources just beneath the lawn’s surface.
Skunks are easily identified by their black and white coloration and focus on finding insects in the soil. They are persistent diggers once they find a promising spot, though they are less likely to climb fences than raccoons. Opossums, North America’s only marsupial, also forage at night and may cause minor damage while rooting for insects or fallen fruit. In the southern and southwestern United States, the armadillo is a highly effective, regionally specific, nocturnal excavator.
Distinguishing Digging Patterns and Evidence
The specific patterns of disturbance are the most reliable way to differentiate between common nighttime diggers. Skunks typically leave small, conical holes, one to three inches wide, appearing as if they pushed their nose into the ground. These small, neat divots are often concentrated where the animal has detected an abundance of subsurface insects.
Raccoon damage is generally more extensive and less uniform, often appearing as patches of rolled-back or shredded turf. Raccoons use their highly sensitive, hand-like paws to peel back sections of sod and flip them over to access food underneath. This leaves large, ragged areas of loosened grass and exposed soil, sometimes making the lawn look roughly tilled. Moles, conversely, create raised ridges or volcano-like mounds of soil rather than open holes, as they tunnel just below the surface for food.
Secondary evidence like tracks can further confirm the animal’s identity. Raccoon tracks look distinctively like small human hands, with five long, slender toes. Skunk tracks are smaller, more oval-shaped, and show pronounced claw marks, reflecting their waddling gait and digging behavior.
The Primary Motivation: Hunting for Food
Nighttime digging is driven by a single instinct: the search for food. Both raccoons and skunks are adept at locating and consuming insect larvae, commonly known as grubs, which live a few inches below the turf. The larvae of beetles, such as Japanese beetles or June bugs, are a protein-rich and readily available food source for these animals.
The animals use their acute sense of smell to detect the presence of grubs, earthworms, or other soil-dwelling insects. When the grub population is concentrated, it is sufficient to attract nocturnal foragers. Digging activity often intensifies in the late summer and fall when grubs are mature and closer to the surface. Opportunistic feeding on unsecured items, like pet food left outdoors or fallen fruit, also contributes to their presence.
Discouraging Future Digging
The most effective long-term strategy for preventing digging damage is to eliminate the primary food source in the lawn. This involves treating the lawn for insect larvae, which removes the incentive for skunks and raccoons to forage in that specific area. Applying beneficial nematodes or chemical grub control products during the appropriate season can significantly reduce the subsurface insect population.
Removing other accessible food sources is also important to make the yard less appealing to these omnivores. Homeowners should secure all garbage cans with tight-fitting lids or store them indoors until collection day. Pet food bowls should be brought inside overnight, and fallen fruits or nuts should be regularly cleared from the ground. Installing motion-activated lights or sprinklers can also provide a sudden, startling deterrent to discourage the animals from lingering and digging in the yard.