Totem of the day is Chipmunk! Let your curiosity run as you explore anything around you that catches your interest. Don't worry about danger as you are well protected in the coming time. Let yourself explore through walks where you can investigate anything from pebbles to rivers to the vast sky. Listen well to those around you with attention paid to the way they speak such as volume or pitch in order to gain a deeper understanding of the person. If you have been working on something creative, keep it to yourself for a week or two until revealing it. The Chipmunk spirit guide is known for it's connection to investigation, gathering resources, motion, flexibility, friendship, and abundance. Chipmunk reminds us that the world is full of wonder and adventure that we can explore and learn about. When Chipmunk makes itself known, know that it is a messenger that something good is on it's way or that an important conversation with someone close to you is coming that you will need to pay attention to. Magic is all around us when Chipmunk appears, showing us that our artistic side is on the rise. Explore projects and creativity, let yourself try new things. At times, this can also be a sign to make sure you have enough supplies stored up in case you need it. Due to their quick motions and chatty nature, Native American tales often saw the the Chipmunk as speaking before it thinks and earning the stripes on it's back due to annoying another animal. This is a reminder to take the time to think before you speak or to work on listening to others first. People who connect with Chipmunk are curious, playful, confident, and chatty types who sometimes have to stop themselves in order to listen to what others are saying. These inquisitive individuals love to explore everything around them and move with unpredictable, quick motions. They often do what they want how they want without accepting when others order them about.

Chipmunks, Tamias Striatus, are omnivorous mammals that can live up to 8 years in the wild. Their are 25 species of Chipmunk with all but one species living in North America. Only the Siberian Chipmunk can be found outside of North America in Asia and reaching down into Europe. A member of the rodent family, they are actually the smallest member of the squirrel family with the largest recorded chipmunk being the Eastern Chipmunk reaching 11 inches in length and weighing just under 5 ounces. An average sized adult Chipmunk grows to between 4 and 7 inches with a weight of 1 t 5 ounces. Their tails alone can reach between 3 and 5 inches long. These small rodents are known for their quick motions, bushy tails, and black and brown stripes on their back. Chipmunks can be found nearly anywhere with trees and create burrows connected to underground tunnels systems that can reach between 10 to 30 feet long or by creating nests in logs or bushes. The diet of a Chipmunk consists of nearly anything they can find from plant material such as berries, nuts, seeds, grains, and mushrooms as well as consuming insects, frogs, bird's eggs, and even baby birds. Their cheeks are able to stretch up to three times larger than their own heads, enabling them to stuff their cheeks with food to take back home for storage. This habit of gathering foods is important for them to cache for the winter. A single chipmunk can gather up to 165 acorns in a single day. While hibernating through the winter, their heart rate drops from 350 beats per minute to approximately 4 beats per minute with a drop of body temperature from 94 degrees Fahrenheit to as low as 40 degrees F. Much of the foraging for food occurs at dawn and dusk. While chipmunks can be seen around each other often and do not often fight with others over food sources, they are not very social creatures and often keep to themselves. Communication occurs with a multitude of sounds with three calls being recognized by the National Wildlife Foundation. These three calls are the startle call, the chip, and the deeper chuck. In the spring, chipmunks will gather together to breed. Female chipmunks will give birth to between 2 and 8 babies called pups. Groups of pups are called litters and females will often give birth to two litters per year. One in the spring and, sometimes, once more in the fall. These pups are born pink, blind, and hairless. Approximately the size of a jellybean, they are cared for by their protective mothers. This protection is so ingrained that a mother squirrel will frantically search if one of her pups seems to go missing. After about two months, these pups will have grown old enough to leave to start their own homes and prepare for the coming winter.