A neighborhood favorite
If you have spent much time in our neighborhood, you may have caught an unexpected flash of white darting across a lawn or climbing through the trees.
We first noticed our neighborhood’s white squirrels in 2020, although longtime neighbors remember seeing them as early as 2016. Over the years, we discovered that many families had independently noticed—and named—them. Snowflake, Whitie, and several other names have all been given to these unusual visitors.
“Snowflake” may not be a single squirrel at all. Because several similar-looking white squirrels have been spotted around the neighborhood, they may be members of the same squirrel family. Whatever their number or names, they have become a shared neighborhood character: something familiar to watch for, talk about, and enjoy together.
That sense of connection is part of what inspired Cozy Crumb Market. Like Snowflake, we hope our little neighborhood stand gives people a reason to pause, smile, say hello, and feel connected to the community around them.
Squirrels are curious, resourceful animals found in forests, parks, and neighborhoods around the world. They are best known for gathering and burying food, but those forgotten nuts and seeds can also help new plants and trees grow.
Colorado is home to three types of tree squirrels: fox squirrels, pine squirrels—also called chickarees—and Abert’s squirrels. Each is suited to a different habitat, from neighborhood trees and city parks to Colorado’s mountain forests.
White squirrels are not a separate species. Their coloring is caused by a genetic variation affecting the pigment in their fur. Snowflake’s dark eyes suggest that our neighborhood’s white squirrels are likely leucistic, or have a similar inherited white color variation, rather than being albino. Albino squirrels typically have pink or reddish eyes, while leucistic squirrels retain their normal dark eye color.
Because this coloring can be inherited, the several white squirrels seen around our neighborhood may belong to the same family. We cannot know for certain whether they are related—or which Snowflake we are seeing each time—but that is part of what makes spotting them so special.
