I would much rather it be a deer or a woodchuck than a rat. We had a nice rain a few hours ago, if it's deer, there may be tracks. I could throw a sheet over them tomorrow night to see if that makes a difference. I came across a site just now that had great solutions for specific animals in the garden. I will keep you posted if I catch this critter in the act or find out what works to stop it.

Deer leave ragged ends on branches they browse. Good video showing this close up http://tinyurl.com/qc4hqqf (go to full screen for detail). Bunnies can only reach as high as they can stand on their hind legs, and are apt to leave a mess of torn leaves, stems & flowers strewn about. But they can jump to higher areas (porches, chairs) & nibble plants from above. Never noticed squirrels munching plants, but they get plenty of tidbits from bird feeder scatter. Our house sits in a clearing surrounded by woodlands, so somebody seems awake at any hour of the day or night scouting for supper. Aromatic plants like lavender & beebalm guard the borders near roses & floppy plants that obscure sure footing cover any bare ground around perennials, many of which are deer resistant, but nothing is deer proof. Have to fence the garden phlox when it buds, since deer have climbed the steps & gobbled down the blooms from the porch. Apparently, that's irresistible. They haven't bothered the hydrangeas, apart from sampling a leaf or two over the years, but in my son's garden miles away they browse his to stubs & bypass the Peace rose surrounded by lavender. Sedum Autumn Joy is a big draw for the fleshy leaves, so I leave the old stems poking out till getting around to caging them before the foliage outgrows their deterrence. Typically it's a curious young buck that comes exploring the flowers on his lonesome around here. Several small deer families graze on the back lawn & rest on the edge of the woods, but they seldom bother the plantings unless it's a hard season. Haven't noticed any damage from other woodland neighbors, though the turtles will clean up fresh fallen rose petals & help themselves to a few viola blooms. In the years I find heliotrope to grow in the porch boxes, a hedgehog couple can often be glimpsed sitting quietly next to them, apparently enjoying the fragrance as much as we do, without disturbing a petal.

I had this same problem a few years back. My solution was to build a cage around the plants that were being attacked which was all of my Jade plants. It is a bit of a pain but I lost too many plants leaving them out in the open. Another option is if you have a deck or somewhere that is raised up and blocked off to where the animal can get too. I never did find out exactly what was eating my plants but I gave up trying to catch it and just built a cage to keep my plants safe. This post was edited by americangolden on Mon, Jul 28, 14 at 18:19

I know it is the squirrels. There are lots of little squirrels this season because the crows came to this area and crows chase away the hawks, who used to keep the squirrel population in check. So bad on the crows. I have used bird netting, but not over the plants. I put it low and bunched up so any small creatures approaching the toms have to walk on it or through it. It is a tangle. Then I put CDs hanging off strings attached to each end of a small pole that fits through a hole drilled in a 2X2. They teeter and catch light in the wind. Spooked me a couple times. I also have started using the pee. Collect it in a bucket and toss it on the perimeter. I believe that it is only 1 or 2 squirrels that have developed this "taste" for my tomatoes. I've got an air rifle, but I live in a city and I'm not sure I want the police wondering what I'm doing taking potshots. The damage so far has been annoying though, no doubt about it.