Our rabbits must not be hungry enough yet. I did cage a bunch of bushes, but they are eating my brush pile!! I was very surprised as I walked by in broad daylight, to see so much bark chewed off the dead limbs and branches in the pile. The white spots positively gleam against the dark of the pile. Not sure exactly WHAT branches they are eating, but they have removed a lot of bark. Some was my trimming from the dappled willow that wouldn't fit inside the cage, took a thick branch out. Most of the branches are Oak, from having the trees trimmed last fall. Some other odds and ends of brush trimming I did. I know they like the willow, caught them gnawing on it as taste test, even BEFORE snow was here. Hence the cage. Caged all my new pasture willow trees too, hoping to protect them over winter. Rabbits check out the yard bird feeders every night, snuffle up the sunflower seeds they can find. Drive the small dog crazy, she can't chase 3 at one time.

I expect the neighbor's Pussy Willow will be in rough shape this spring. It has no caging, and the rabbits did a big number on it a couple years ago in the deep snow. It is mostly sprouts, 3-5ft tall, so they are probably pretty tender.

My SIL up by Traverse City MI loses most of her Burning Bushes each year to the rabbits. They nest under her deck, eat the bushes beside the deck. Caging is useless, because snow is over the top of any fence and the bushes. Heck they had to dig out her windows last year, she couldn't see outside! I guess they are tough bushes though, come back each year, just small.

Spring cannot get here too soon! I need other fodder for the rabbits to munch on besides my shrubs. Another walk around the yard today revealed I won't be having any Fothergilla blooms this year--the chicken wire was too short, and the rabbits trampled enough of the cages to reach in and feast. (But at least they fertilized before leaving the scene.) It's amazing to me how high they can stretch on their hind legs to do their pruning. As the winter progresses, and its gets harder to find food, they seem to stretch even higher. I also noticed I won't need to trim back any Leptodermis this year. I wish all my pruning cuts were as clean and as perfectly angled.

Maybe I'll invest in some hardware cloth this year. Time to challenge the local lagomorphs. Hope they don't sprout antlers!