Ohio’s meadow vole records fit damp grassland, old fields, marsh edges, and roadside swales, including open habitat within Cuyahoga Valley and Wayne National Forest. The vole cuts narrow runways beneath matted grass and piles clipped stems at feeding stations; those signs are often more visible than the stocky, short-tailed animal itself.
Meadow voles remain active beneath winter snow and breed rapidly when green vegetation is plentiful, but monthly submissions reflect trapping and observer effort rather than population size. They are a major prey base for owls, hawks, foxes, and weasels, so short-lived local increases can ripple through Ohio’s grassland food web even though NatureServe leaves the state rank unassigned.
