Most of the confirmed meadow vole locations in Delaware sit in the damp grassland of Coastal Plain refuges, Bombay Hook and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuges, and in the wet meadow edges near Trap Pond State Park close to the Great Cypress Swamp. That pattern fits a species tied to thick, damp grass, ground the Piedmont’s drier wooded hills in the north supply less of.
Runways through the grass
Meadow voles build and maintain networks of narrow surface runways through matted grass, close-cropped paths that let them move quickly between feeding spots while staying hidden from hawks and foxes overhead. They feed mainly on grass stems, roots, and seeds, and they’re known for breeding through much of the year whenever food and cover hold up, not just in one tight season. That steady breeding pattern makes them an important food source for the state’s hawks, owls, and foxes.
Low counts spread thin across the year
Delaware’s confirmed records stay low in every month rather than clustering into an obvious peak, which fits a species that can be active and breeding across most of the calendar. The small total count here likely says more about how well voles hide in dense grass runways than about how many actually live in the state’s marshes and wet meadows.
Status in Delaware
NatureServe hasn’t assigned the meadow vole a numeric state rank in Delaware. It isn’t listed as nonindigenous by USGS NAS and is treated as native to the wet grassland habitat it uses here.
