Identify a yard clue
Answer a few quick questions about what you found. Every question is optional — the more you answer, the better the match. We'll suggest the guides that most likely explain it.
Most likely matches
Based on your answers, start with these guides. Each one walks through the likely causes and how to confirm them.
We couldn't find a close match. Try changing an answer, or browse the categories to compare photos and descriptions.
The wizard suggests probable matches based on typical patterns — it isn't a diagnosis. If anything looks dangerous (stinging insects, structural damage, unknown droppings in enclosed spaces), keep your distance and contact a licensed professional.
How to read a yard clue like a pro
Wildlife biologists and extension agents identify culprits the same way a detective works a scene: they collect several small pieces of evidence and let them rule suspects out. You can do the same in a few minutes. These five checks will get you to the right answer far more often than guessing from a single detail.
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Measure it
Size eliminates more suspects than any other clue. A ¼-inch hole and a 3-inch hole have almost nothing in common. Use a coin for scale — a quarter is just under an inch — and compare holes in our yard hole size chart. For droppings, note length and shape: pellets, tubes, and piles point to very different animals.
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Look at what surrounds it
A fan of fresh soil, a raised ridge, a worn runway through the grass, scattered shells, or tracks in soft mud each tell part of the story. A clean hole with no dirt pile usually means the digger carried the soil away — or that it's reusing someone else's burrow.
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Note exactly where it is
Location reveals motive. Damage scattered across open lawn usually means an animal hunting grubs or burying food; holes tight against a foundation, shed, or patio point to animals looking for shelter; damage under trees or in mulch has its own short list of suspects.
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Pin down when it appeared
"Overnight" rules out slow processes and points to nocturnal foragers like skunks and raccoons. "After rain" suggests earthworms, crayfish, or washed-out burrows. The season matters too: ground bees appear in spring, cicadas and wasps in summer, caching squirrels in fall, and vole damage is revealed when the snow melts.
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Watch — safely
A few minutes at dawn or dusk often settles the question. Sprinkle flour or fine sand around a hole to capture tracks overnight, or loosely plug it with crumpled newspaper to see whether it's still in use. Always observe from a distance, and never probe a hole that might hold stinging insects.