Woodland voles turn up across a wide slice of Georgia, from the forested slopes of Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in the mountains down into Piedmont woodlots and even the edges of Coastal Plain wetlands near Okefenokee. It’s a forest-floor species through and through, favoring the loose, leaf-covered soil under hardwoods rather than open fields.
Unlike most voles, which scurry across the surface, this one spends much of its life just under the ground, tunneling through loose soil and leaf litter in search of roots, bulbs, and seeds. Those shallow burrow systems can show up as raised ridges in soft garden or orchard soil, one of the few visible clues this secretive little rodent leaves behind.
Georgia records run year-round, with reports rising in April as the animals become more active during the spring breeding season. Records here reflect how often this vole gets noticed and logged, not a direct count of the population living underground.
