Who’s Eating In The Garden?

Skipping happily along the paths in the garden during a lull in the cold rain, checking for signs of spring or anything that might catch our attention, we went by the Fairy Gazebo . The small pots at the entrance housed crocus bulbs and some elfin thyme with a small bit of found treasure for each one.
Oh no! What happened to the crocus, it has been snipped down to nothingness. Who could have done such a thing?
The other pot holds a little piece of crackled glass found in the soil. We are always finding broken glass in the soil, the remains of beverage, medicine, beauty or food bottles thrown into the yard long ago with no thought of future diggers. Care is taken to not be injured by sharp bits with the use of gloves and tools to do the digging. The crocus was planted in bud, just like it’s mate on the other side.

It was also hit by the mysterious chomper. Such vandalism. The thyme looks good, it must not be part of the diet of the eater.

The newly planted sedum ‘Ogon’ has no nibbles. The grazer seems to prefer flowers.

Could this be the culprit? Mr. Turtle and his clan are found all around the garden, high and low but they are probably safely buried in the earth to keep warm for now. Aren’t they carnivores? I know more about biology than zoology. But I do remember being bit by a snapping turtle as a child while trying to feed it some lettuce, it preferred my finger.

Not the right season for fellows like this either, the caterpillar of the saddleback moth, I believe, but they are plant eaters.

He enjoyed the feast of the black millet leaves.

So very pretty, the caterpillar of the pale tiger moth, I believe, but don’t touch those stinging hairs, another lesson learned through experience. They don’t want to be stroked like you would a cat or dog.

He has chosen the perfect color leaf to enhance his photogenic qualities.

One of the most common eaters in the Faire Garden, the caterpillar of the eastern black swallowtail, I believe, we try and satisfy his hunger with lots of fennel, dill and parsley. The bronze fennel has volunteered all over, one of the main reasons we leave it to grow, and throw a wrench in any pretense of a design to the garden, is the butterflies it attracts. I’ll take those living flowers over good design principles any day.

It is a good thing there is lots for them to eat, then can clean the foliage and stems off a large fennel plant in a day.

Now to the heart of this story. While looking around near the pine trees at the end of the property last year, a noise underfoot sounded like a child’s squeaky toy. A couple more taps of the toe caused the same sound each time. Looking down, there was some fuzz amid the pine straw. Lifting the leaf litter here is what was found……

A pair of tiny baby bunnies, nestled as close as two peas in a pod. I was so surprised to find these as the source of the squeak, realizing it could have been something much more menacing and angry at being uncovered, it was a relief when this discovery was made. Where was mama, watching from afar, or off on her own to let her offspring fend for themselves.

They were of fending age it seems. Later in the week this one was nearly stepped on, blending so well with the gravel. He was poking around under the garage deck. It is sort of dark under there, he could have been caused to squeak once again by the misplaced boot.

We have seen the rabbits hopping along between the arborvitae and chamaecyparis, the wonderful area for this year’s potager. But there can be no beautiful vegetable patch if there are no vegetable plants, only stubs of stems. This is the solution, fence posts, plastic chicken netting and boards to protect and offer climbing opportunities for the sugar snap peas already planted. A row of onion sets are in the ground as well, a supposed deterrent to browsing bunnies. Once the plantings have grown larger, this barricade will be removed to allow for more lovely patterned plantings. We love the wildlife that shares our space here, really we do. We will find a way to coexist and still give all enough to eat, to everyone’s satisfaction.

Frances

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