Vole

The most common critter moving under the cover of the snow is a vole. It is sometimes called a meadow mouse, or a meadow vole. It is an herbivore that chews the grass off in tracks measuring about one inch wide. After the snow melts, the tracks have the appearance of a garden hose left on the lawn for an extended period of time. In some cases, voles will chew grass in a large area, and the grass actually looks dead. As voles chew the grass in the tracks, they continue to run back and forth, making what appears to be a depression in the dirt. With the arrival of warm weather and the growth of the grass, the tracks will disappear.