Moles spend nearly their entire lives beneath the soil, so their presence is usually noted by the visible disruptions they leave behind on the surface. These small, subterranean insectivores are powerfully built for digging, creating intricate tunnel systems in their constant search for food. Moles are mammals, not rodents, specialized for life underground and primarily feeding on earthworms, grubs, and other invertebrates. The visual evidence of a mole’s activity is highly distinct, appearing in two primary forms: the conical molehill and the raised surface runway. Understanding these specific characteristics is the only way to confirm a mole is the culprit in a lawn or garden.
Identifying the Classic Molehill
The most recognized sign of a mole’s presence is the molehill, a distinct pile of displaced soil pushed up from a deep, permanent tunnel. These mounds are typically conical or volcano-shaped, rising several inches high and spanning up to a foot or two in diameter. The mole creates this structure by pushing excavated soil up a vertical shaft to the surface, causing the earth to spill out evenly in a symmetrical pattern.
A defining feature of the molehill is the texture of the soil, which is usually finely sifted and uniform, resembling a pile of pulverized dirt. This fine texture results from the mole’s powerful, paddle-like forefeet and long claws churning through the earth as it tunnels. Unlike the mounds of some other burrowing animals, a true molehill often lacks a visible, open entry hole directly at the center of the cone.
The mole usually plugs the entrance to the vertical shaft beneath the mound with soil, sealing its deep tunnel system from the air and predators. These deep tunnels are used for travel, nesting, and housing, sometimes extending down to 18 inches or more. The appearance of a molehill signals the mole is expanding its main corridor or creating a new living chamber.
Recognizing Surface Feeding Tunnels
Moles create shallow, temporary tunnels just beneath the soil surface while actively hunting for food. These surface tunnels, often called runways or feeding runs, appear as raised, meandering ridges of turf across a lawn or garden bed. The mole uses these shallow paths to trap and collect invertebrates like earthworms and grubs, which are its primary food source.
These ridges are typically narrow, matching the approximate width of the mole’s body, and are located only about one to four inches below the ground. When stepped on, these surface runs feel soft and spongy, as the soil and sod have been lifted and separated from the underlying earth. The collapse of these raised ridges underfoot is a reliable way to confirm their presence.
The pattern of these surface runs offers clues about the mole’s behavior. Active feeding runs often appear winding and erratic as the mole follows scent trails of prey. Straighter, more defined ridges are often primary travel corridors, connecting deeper parts of the tunnel system or linking two different feeding areas. The creation of these surface tunnels causes damage by severing the roots of grass and plants, leading to brown or wilting patches of vegetation above the run.
Distinguishing Mole Signs from Other Burrowers
Accurately identifying mole signs requires distinguishing them from the evidence left by other common subterranean pests like gophers and voles. The volcano-shaped molehill, with its centrally located, plugged entry, is the primary feature that separates it from the gopher’s excavation. A gopher mound is typically fan-shaped or crescent-shaped, created as the animal pushes soil out laterally from its tunnel opening.
Gopher mounds feature a distinct soil plug or visible indentation on one side of the crescent, which is the sealed entrance to the tunnel below. Gopher tunnel systems are generally deeper and do not produce the extensive network of raised surface ridges characteristic of mole foraging activity. Gophers are herbivores, so their presence is also indicated by missing plants or severed roots, which is damage moles generally do not cause.
Voles, which are small rodents, leave behind entirely different signs that are often confused with moles. Voles do not create mounds of soil; instead, they dig small, open entry holes, often about the size of a nickel or golf ball, that lead to their shallow burrows. They also create surface runs, but these are narrow, worn-down paths or trails in the grass that are completely open to the air, resembling miniature trenches.
These open vole runways are distinct from the raised, covered ridges created by a mole’s tunneling. If you observe open, small holes and worn surface paths without any conical dirt mounds, the damage is most likely caused by voles.