Sounds like a two-legged pest of some kind. Do you have mischevious kids hanging around?

That would be unlikely, too. The kids around the area appears to be well behaved. I used to grow up in a bad neighborhood, so I know what bad kids are like.

Besides, why would they knock off just one plant, most of the time when kids play a prank, they do an entire bed. In my old haunt, I would suspect a deer, but deers are rare here.

Usually when I see destroy plants, I blame the squirrels, but usually they just destroy the plant and leave it lying around. In this case, there's nothing left.

Paul

Voles? Although they usually eat the roots and leave the above-ground part of the plant....

Dee

Voles wouldn't do that. I too say it was human -- do you live in a suburban setting? Someone might have wanted some plants and been evil enough to go out "shopping" in other people's gardens. I once had to confront a lady who pulled her car to the side of the street and got out with shovel in hand to dig plants out of my large mixed bed alongside the road (but inside of my lot line past the public right of way). When she saw me, she quickly hollered out "oh, I was looking for wildflowers to dig" -- as if my bed of that included various cultivars of sunflowers,dahlias, buddleias, yuccas, lupines, allliums, etc. all in geometric patterns and surrounded by mown lawn on all sides was vacant land.

It takes all kinds, and I wouldn't put it past some people.

I do live in the suburbs, but I find it hard to believe somebody would go and remove a phlox that have finish blooming and looks rather ratty. I actually had stuff next to it in containers that I haven't yet planted. They could have taken those. Weird!!!

Paul

i think you did it..

and partied a little to hard that evening..

and now dont remember

lol

ken

It sounds like an adult took the plant. Teens wouldn't. Teens would do something like pick flowers and leave you with no blooms. An adult would keep in mind the plant that bloomed and go after it once done blooming.
People out even in the country are plant thieves. I remember stopping out in a rural area near here at a plant sale in front of a home where you leave money in the box. There was a sign saying something like "To the gray hair lady who drives a blue buick, stop stealing plants. I know who you are and I will call the police next time."
Remy

I never had people actually steal plants, but I suppose it could happen.

The lady down the street has a much nicer phlox, so if someone did steal it, it would be a mystery why mines was taken. Perhaps the lady down the street was offended by my phlox and get rid of it :-p.

Now I have to figure out what to fill the area with.

Paul

You really haven't disproved the alien theory
Maybe you should put a little more thought into that - there is a possibility, you know....

What do you mean? I never grown any phlox?? :-)

Seriously, I notice the coreopsis next to the phlox has now disappeared, too, though this time there is no hole. Looks like someone just ate it to the ground.

I am beginning to wonder if this is just a case of an animal that decided to eat it to the ground, then some squirrel came by notice a bare spot and started digging, leaving a hole. There are holes all over my mulch.

Paul

One word - chupacabra. That's the answer for anything wierd that happens in New Mexico.

Of course! Why didn't I think of that?!

Dee

So hope it's not the dreaded groundhog! Best to you, cj