What is going on with my lawn! 

Vole damage is what you are seeing in the turf right now.

Voles (field mice)

• Voles are small brown rodents and are pretty common in the Twin Cities. The meadow vole and prairie vole are the most frequent species.
• Most often we see damage as soon as the snow begins melting.  Voles are busy all winter under the snow and the damage becomes visible in spring.

How voles damage turf:

• They feed on grass roots and rhizomes, creating visible damage once the snow recedes.
• Their activity leaves Chewed up runways, with dead grass piles, and small holes ~1″ across where they come to the surface.
• Voles, mice and rabbits also chew on the bark of trees and shrubs around lawn edges — sometimes killing woody plants if severe.
  What do I do now?
  Gentle raking is needed to get that loose debris out so that the lawn can recover.  When temps warm up, it's a good idea to dirt and seed those spots.   Please see the spring seeding video.