SHOP PRODUCTS
Houzz Logo Print
heyjude2012_gw

What's eating my plants???

10 years ago

Hi everyone! I'm having my garden raided by something. Not sure if its caterpillars, snails, earwigs, or something 4 legged. I have a cement patio, everything's in pots. Small yard with a small very steep canyon, totally open to the world back with no fence and houses down below and beyond that there is a small nature preserve. Privet bushes on one side for privacy from the neighbors, the other side is a little more open but there is a huge sawgrass that gives us some privacy from the other neighbor. We do get occasional critters. I've seen skunks, possums, squirrels, rabbits and coyotes in my yard.

The damage started last week. I had a pot of day lilies starting to bloom in a pot by the edge of the canyon. One opened flower totally disappeared. Just the flower. It looked like it got snipped off just under the bloom. No remnants left behind. I feed wild birds and I have a single squirrel that comes and roots around the feeder so I immediately thought it took the flower.

Two days later, I go to put a trellis on my raspberry vines and the vines are gone! The main plants are still there but the beautiful vines are chewed off the main plant and they are entwined into the privet bushes that they had been resting against. The vines have had most of the leaves chewed off. The couple of fruits on the bush are still there except for one fruit that looked like it had been snipped off about an inch from the fruit cap.

Now my strawberry plants are starting to get eaten. The fruits are left alone for the most part, it's the leaves being eaten. Some leaves are chewed off and left laying where they fall and some are completely gone.

Also, same pot of Lillys as the first missing bloom, three whole day lilly plants are snipped at the base and totally gone. No leftover remnants.

Last night they/it started on my alpine berries and I grew those from seeds so I am especially personally offended.

At first I wasn't totally sure when these events were taking place. But it does appear to be at night.

I did go out last night to look after it got dark but I didn't see anything. I'm going to try that again tonight and today I have the day off from work so I'm going to dig in my strawberry plant pots and see if I root up anything live. Whatever it is is doing pretty much one pot at a time so that is making me think more 4 legged. It's just strange damage and I would have thought if it was a possum that the fruits would be the prize.

I do have tomatoes, cukes, beans, peppers, etc....none of that is being messed with so far.

Comments (18)