If you live in Missouri Springs, seeing fresh dirt mounds in your yard can be heartbreaking. Most homeowners assume any hole in the lawn is from a mole, but that is rarely the case on the Front Range.
Understanding which creature is tunneling through your property is the first step toward reclaiming your landscape. Local Pointe Pest Control experts know that in our high-altitude environment, the culprit is almost always the pocket gopher rather than a mole.
How Can You Tell a Gopher Mound Apart From a Mole Mound?
The easiest way to tell these two animals apart is by looking at the shape of the dirt they leave behind. Pocket gophers are the most common excavators in El Paso County. They create mounds that are shaped like a crescent or a horseshoe.
The plug of the hole is usually off to one side of the dirt pile. On the other hand, moles create mounds that look like perfect little volcanoes.
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Their dirt piles are symmetrical, and the exit hole is right in the center. If you see a line of horseshoe-shaped dirt across your grass, you are definitely dealing with a gopher.
What Do Pocket Gophers and Moles Look Like?
The physical appearance of these two animals is very different, though you will rarely see them above ground. Pocket gophers are rodents with large front teeth that stay outside of their lips.
This allows them to dig through our tough Missouri soil without getting a mouthful of dirt. They have fur-lined pouches on their cheeks where they carry food, which is why they are called “pocket” gophers.
Moles are not rodents at all but are insectivores. They have tiny eyes, no visible ears, and a long, pointed snout. Their front paws are oversized and shaped like paddles for swimming through the earth.
What Are Gophers and Moles Eating in Your Yard?
What these animals eat determines exactly how they will damage your yard. Pocket gophers are herbivores that love to eat the roots of your prized perennials and lawn grass. They will often pull an entire plant down into their tunnel from below.
This is why a perfectly healthy plant might suddenly wither and die in your garden. Moles are looking for protein rather than plants. They spend their time hunting for earthworms, grubs, and beetles.
While they do not eat your flowers, their tunnels can disturb the root systems and leave your lawn feeling soft or “squishy” when you walk on it.
How Does Missouri’s Climate Affect Where These Animals Tunnel?
Our local geography plays a big role in where these animals choose to live. Pocket gophers love the well-drained soil found in many Missouri Springs neighborhoods. They build incredibly deep and complex tunnel systems that can span several backyards.
They are active all year long and do not hibernate during our cold winters. You might even see “earth cores” on your lawn when the snow melts in the spring. These are long tubes of dirt that gophers pushed into snow tunnels during the winter months.
Moles prefer much moister soil than we usually have here, which is why they are much less common in our high desert climate.
How Can You Make Your Yard Less Attractive to Burrowing Pests?
You can make your Missouri Springs property less attractive to these diggers with a few simple changes.
Avoid overwatering, as soft ground is much easier for gophers and moles to navigate. Install underground wire mesh around valuable garden beds to block gophers from reaching plant roots.
Finally, removing rock piles and tall weeds eliminates the cover they need to move around safely.
Why Professional Identification Matters.
Without proper identification, traps and removal methods will fail since gopher and mole tunnels behave completely differently. Pointe Pest Control understands the unique challenges of managing burrowing pests in the Front Range.
Their local team provides expert identification and effective solutions to protect your Missouri Springs yard, offering thorough inspections and professional treatments to keep your lawn beautiful and your property secure.