"Lawn cracks", for lack of a better term

[Walt34]

Does anyone know what causes this? It looks like maybe the top layer of soil froze and then shrunk and cracked over the winter. The thing is that neither of us has ever seen this happen before and have no idea what caused it. In the next few days I'll throw in some grass seed and fill it in with topsoil. Has anyone seen this effect before?

 

[Jerry1]

Clay or sand? I’ve seen something like that with clay but only when it gets very dry.

 

[Gumby]

Looks like Voles to me.

 

[Al18]

Grubs eating roots?

I’ve been working on trying kill moles in my yard for years, but I don’t think you have moles. Moles usually tunnel a few inches underground and occasionally break the surface.

 

[Jerry1]

Looks like Voles to me.

I was thinking of that too.

 

[frank05]

If grass was covered with snow it is probably vole tracks.

 

[ERD50]

Looks like Voles to me.

Definitely. Though I always get moles and voles mixed up (I'll assume you are correct though). But a quick search will validate it, for OP.

Mouse traps have worked for me, but it takes a different approach. They will not climb up on one, they hug the ground. I got them by pressing the ground in a bit at their tunnel exit, and getting the edge of the trap right down at ground level. Peanut butter worked as bait. I'd try to get 2~3 traps around each exit I found, so they encounter it any way they turn. I also set a milk crate over the traps, to keep birds, raccoons, etc, out.

 

[USGrant1962]

Looks like Voles to me.

Yup, I don't live too far from Walt34 and I've had them. I just ignored them and they went away - probably predators got them in the spring.

 

[38Chevy454]

Want to borrow my dogs, they'll get the voles/moles. Of course they will also dig the tunnels out and make a bigger mess of your yard, don't ask me how I know.

 

[sengsational]

I battle moles continually. When I saw the photo, I figured some kind of varmint.

 

[SecondCor521]

Add my vote for voles. I had one two years ago. It was hard to get rid of.

 

[kgtest]

Dealing with these voles in my own yard right now. I read that mulch doesn't help. We have large areas of mulch beds, and also blow our 1/2 acres worth of leaves into the back forty. I'm probably not helping the situation. Also a large wood pile I need to deal with. argh.

 

[Walt34]

Thank you all for the responses. I'm inclined to agree it's voles, we've had the issue before and I killed them off with mouse bait. So we'll try that again. I tried mouse traps but only caught one, and that by the leg so I still had to kill it when DW wasn't looking.

 

[MichaelB]

So, am I the only one that, when I saw the thread title the first thought was the view from behind of the landscape guy bending over to pick up lawn debris?

 

[splitwdw]

Definitely voles. Voles leave tunnels through the grass on top of the soil or through mulch in perennial beds. Moles tunnel underground. Mouse traps don't work. Use the poison mouse baits or bring home a good mouser.

 

[Sangiovese]

Thank you all for the responses. I'm inclined to agree it's voles, we've had the issue before and I killed them off with mouse bait. So we'll try that again. I tried mouse traps but only caught one, and that by the leg so I still had to kill it when DW wasn't looking.

Is there some type of bait that won't also poison whatever animal eats the dead vole? In my area, owls are dying from ingesting poisoned mice. I'm not sure who eats voles, but it would be good to make sure the poison doesn't work its way up the food chain.

 

[GaryInCO]

Is there some type of bait that won't also poison whatever animal eats the dead vole?

My landscape guy recommends Juicy Fruit ! Scatter small pieces around on the area where the tunnels show up. The voles love the smell and eat the gum, and then it clogs up their digestion and they starve. So my lawn guy says anyway.