I have had squirrels dig up a small plant,and I replanted it with no ill effects,but that one is pretty big! Phil

It must have been the night for creatures! Overnight something went around my gardens digging small holes about 3 inches deep, about 5 inches long, and about 2 inches wide. The holes are deeply pointed in the middle if that makes any sense. It didn't eat any hostas and most of the holes are not near the hostas. However it seems to have accidentally dug up one hosta during it's fun because my newly planted Nifty Fifty was laying very neatly beside it's hole, not a leaf or root was harmed on it.

We have a lot of woodchucks here so maybe they were the culprit. Although from what I've observed of them, they are usually out during the day happily munching on my perennial flowers and then taking a sunbath on our deck. I've never noticed one out at night so I'm puzzled too. Giant slugs perhaps???

Skunks love digging in the newly planted, really loose soil areas looking for worms and grubs. I think they are too lazy to dig on their own.

The squirrels love to dig holes right next to all my hostas, especially newly planted ones. This spring they dug up about 5 of my hostas. I would just find the hostas roots and all laying next to a freshly dug hole. So I would just pop them back in and the hostas didn't really seem to care.

We have a LOT of squirrels! They could be the culprits; they love to play in my hosta beds and search for acorns.
Maybe this is their revenge...They gnawed a hole in the plastic bucket we had the sunflower seed in on our upper deck so my sweet DIL bought my hubby a small metal trash can with lid. DH said..."Let them chew through that!"

Ungrateful brats; my hubby puts out ears of corn for them, too...

highjack - thanks for that info on the skunks. I had no idea that they ate grubs and worms. I bet that's what dug my holes! It definitely looked like they were making small holes all over looking for something to eat in the dirt and they did stay in the areas of the loose freshly dug dirt. I've never seen a squirrel here, I think the hawks and owls in our trees must keep them away.

Char--beware--the little varmints can figure how to pry the lids off those metal cans, even the ones
you have to lower the side rings in order to open them.

My solution:

I run a chain through the rings and through the handle of the lid (side to side tightly) and attach each end
with one of those large clips you can buy now, as key rings etc. It works!! I have a whole can
full of p-nuts that just drive them "nuts" trying to figure out how to beat that system!!
However, given enough time--I think they could figure it out! They are very smart critters
and I love 'em despite some disadvantages in having them so "at home"! :o)

I love my 'Earth Angel' and am very saddened by your loss of a year's worth of great performance by
night-raiding vandal/s!! To have eaten the leaves (is that right?) and uprooted it, really limits the
possibilities of what has done this, I think!!!! I can't figure out what does that--especially at night!!

janice

I've noticed those same holes all over one area of my garden, too. It started almost a month ago, but seems to have subsided now. I blamed them on some animal searching for cicadas. They're all above ground now (most of them, I think) so they're easy to get, no more digging. Do you have the 17 year cicada there?

Sorry about your hosta, it stinks when that happens.

hosta haven - it certainly sounds like skunks. I always check any newly planted plant the morning after I plant them. Our skunk, Pepe, strolls s-l-o-w-l-y up from the woods when it is almost dark, searching for food. Needless to say, I let him feed rather than go storming out to disrupt his meal. Between shrews and skunks, I am surprised I have any worms.

Thanks, everyone...I checked it again this morning and it is still there and doing well...i.e. I think the leaf grew a little!

Char

Too bad about your Earth Angel hosta-haven. I don't think it was a squirrel, skunk or racoon who did the deed. I think it was a ground hog/woodchuck. I've seen them come out and roam around at dusk and the damage that was done could have happened right before dark - don't know how late you were out in your garden that night. I know many of you folks have huge gardens so what I do and have to do may not be practical for all. I spray a small animal deterrant called Bobbex every spring when the plants start coming up and any time I disturb the soil to put in a new plant or reposition an old plant. When soil is disturbed, squirrels think something good is buried there and will begin digging away. But this product works extremely well for me by keeping the squirrels and rabbits at bay - even voles. It lasts a while too since it is rain proof. It stinks to high heaven but the strong initial smell dissipates in a few days. It's not cheap but I would have no hostas or other perennials if I didn't use this stuff so for me it's priceless.