Eastern mole reports in Georgia cluster in the sandy, well-drained soils of the coastal plain, including the ground around Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Banks Lake. Loose sandy soil is easy for a mole to push through, which is a big reason this species does so well from the Fall Line sandhills all the way to the coast, while heavier Piedmont clay farther north can slow their tunneling down.
Almost everything about an eastern mole happens underground and out of sight, which is exactly why most Georgians only ever notice the raised ridges of soil it leaves behind rather than the animal itself. It spends its life pushing shallow feeding tunnels through the topsoil hunting earthworms, grubs, and beetle larvae, and digs deeper permanent tunnels for nesting and to ride out cold or dry spells.
Most reports come from people who spotted fresh tunnel ridges in a lawn or field rather than the mole itself, so Georgia’s numbers likely undercount a species that’s genuinely common across much of the state. Sightings run year-round but tick up in late spring, when soil moisture from spring rains keeps earthworms active near the surface and moles feeding heavily just under the ground.
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