Picture? How high were the cuts off the ground?

bugs dont usually eat.. intact wood ...

leaving you in the realm of rabbit.. woodchuck ... etc .. or deer ...

we need a pic ...

is it in the ground??? if so.. time for come chicken wire ... or some such .. probably .. need that pic

ken

This is as close as I could with my camera. But hopefully you can see where the branches were just bitten off. Those branches were long and beautiful. Now it's just stubs. I'll try to post more photos. It's weird. Where you see those stubs were once long beautiful branches, about two feet long.

Here's another one. It really upsets me because it was so beautiful and full just a week ago and now it's like this.

It was probably some rodent. Put some chicken wire around it like suggested. Since it is young it should recover.

Mary, where do you live? Albizia julibrissin is a significant pest plant in many areas, especially in most of the southeastern US. Nature may be doing itself a favor in this case.

I live in NE Georgia. I LOVE Mimosa's and do not consider them a nuisance at all. Just rake up the seed pods in the fall with the leaves and burn them. Simple. Their beautiful canopy of leaves is amazing and their flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds..and they're pretty. What's not to like?

I think a passing deer decided to munch on it. It hasn't happened since. Chicken wire I think is the solution to prevent further damage. Fortunately it's a hearty tree and will grow back.

"What's not to like?"

They are HIGHLY destructive of the natural ecosystem! Your state's EPPC rates them as category 1 (the very worst of the worst). They're pretty, but kind of like the colorful chemicals you might find at a superfund site (except Albizia julibrissin multiplies exponentially, so may be much worse than the chemicals in a superfund site).

Don't care. I have two I raised from seeds and they're staying. They're not destroying MY ecosystem, they're enhancing it. Thanks

If you ever catch the vermin the hippies who protect the environment around here mlwould be very interested in what it is. The would want to breed the deer or rabbits who eat these invasive plants.

Sorry y'all don't like Mimosa's. I don't feel that way. Thanks for the help from those who actually offered it.

I live in CA, but those trees can be found here as well. As a kid, I adored the fluffy pink puff flowers, the interesting leaves, the lovely shape of mature trees.

Now, as a homeowner, I'm not such a fan because our neighbor has a giant one and its a major mess. Dried flowers and pollen all over the sidewalk, seed pods everywhere, seedlings all over my yard :-( They're an elderly couple so I imagine the tree has become too much work. At least they do get it pruned back every few years.

OP, my understanding is these trees are quite vigorous so you probably don't need to worry about this setback, just protect the young seedling until it is taller. And prepare for lots of maintenance one it's more mature ;-)

It seems kind of weird to hear someone say they don't care if they are destroying the world! We've had discussions on here before discussing the multifaceted debate about just how "bad" planting one very invasive plant is, but just saying you don't care is a new viewpoint, from what I've seen.

Some people have made arguments like saying that since many other of the same species is present, they think the additional damage is not as significant. Or, they may argue that there's some chance of nature "self-correcting" quickly enough that the worst scenarios won't really materialize. But just not to care....wow!

If you think Mimosa trees are destroying the world, well then... Ignorance is bliss, and I kind off envy you :) LMAO

Jalcon, are you familiar with the scientific work behind the issues of invasive plants? Ever heard of the Georgia EPPC? Do you know something that the scientist, most all nature buffs, and I don't? Or, are you one of those people that enjoys sticking your head in the sand?

BTW, not every destructive force has to be a supervolcano or a giant asteroid.

It's a mystery. Until you know for sure, do nothing. leave it as is until you actually witness the culprit, because as your "logic" shows, you can't know until you experience it yourself.

Famous last words.

"My neighbors are spaced pretty far apart and they don't care."

That's not what it's about, at all. What happens with this and other invasive plants is that they seed, birds eat the seed (or however else the particular plant spreads it's seed), the seed is dispersed over a wide area (many square miles), and new plants form. With the vast majority of plants, that' a wonderful thing and we get more plants and biodiversity. With invasives, nature's way of keeping the plant in check is missing and the plants begin forming monocultures. This results in a situation where native flora and fauna are outcompeted and displaced. Albizia julibrissin is like this and has been documented to be a significant environmental problem, especially in the southeast. Neighbors are more than just the people that live next door.

I just took a four hour drive to the beach, and couldn't help think of this thread along the way bc I probably saw a beautiful Mimosa every few miles or so along the roadside. My wife and I had a running joke about how each one was ruining the planet as we speak, lololol. Heaven forbid there is a tree with pink flowers on it every few miles hahaha. Meanwhile every last square mile of green space gets developed these days and people are bitching about a tree that doesn't belong every few miles.

Mary, I don't see how someone could misunderstand so badly. Are you being serious about sweet gums or just joking? Maybe you are being sarcastic?

As for Jalcon, I'm surprised he was able to get a driver's license. Don't you still have to take a written test for those?

Dude, you had six hours to come up with a good response and THAT'S what you came up with?

Jalcon, what does "I am disappoint" mean? Hopefully your wife drove you, because I doubt you could have understood the traffic signs.

Another knee slapper from Brando!

It's not as bad as you say brandon, and they are not that easy to grow. I live in a rural area, I have grown mimosas starting with seeds. I have One tree, I keep waiting for this evasive tree to take over. No such luck. So simmer down, they are not taking over the world! Good Luck , Mary!!!

I've got a few volunteers near my house, and except for the fusarium wilt that killed the majority of them in this area, nothing ever bothered them. This year I noticed the newest leaves and stems were eaten, way to high for a varmint, but I didn't see anything, and the tree began regrowing leaves and shoots. About 3 weeks later it happened again, and this time I was able to see from a window looking down on the sapling green inchworms on all the terminals. Never seen that before, have no idea what they were. They left, the tree regrew, and now the worms are back again, apparently at least 3 broods of whatever they are. And, they only eat the new growth, they don't defoliate the whole tree.

Mimosas :(

The sprout up around here like crazy. Anyone visiting hoping to enjoy the sights of natural Missouri is sure to be disappointed.

I remember this thread. I can help but wonder about the moral compass of people like Mary. She's not unique but somewhat rare, I think.

Most people think of themselves as part of their community, they care at least a little about the environment and don't want to purposefully contribute to a problem.

Mary and her ilk are selfish, self-serving, morally deficient. I can't help but feel ashamed of them, since they can't do it for themselves.

I have the same problem.The branches are twisted in some areas.The tree is four foot tall,so it must be deer.

Hello, thanks all for sharing their honest concerns and opinions, me as quite newbie diy gardener here in South Eastern Europe country, I'm regularly following your USA and Britain information and guidelines as the pioneers and best organized herbal and horticulture in modern world presently, thankfully available globally for wide education. That said I've read about various regulations state and local (USA,UK) regarding invasive plants, and my point is that even with those public classification from decades of research - one important factor regarding invasive plants spread is not being applied to guidelines and regulations and that is soil type. I mean invasive plants as well as other plants are hardly progressive on clay, rock clay and even loam, so those invasively declared plants (to not name species) are actually not invasive on the mentioned terrains, furthermore those are enriching naturally limited plants environment. For example regarding this topic, I've planted Mimosa Acacia julibrissin 1 foot tall this past spring, and till now late in autumn plant barely grow 5-10 cm(1-2"), and that stands for most other starting plants that sometime later when established get some moderately slow growth, but slow advancing applies to wide varieties - for Eucalyptus that is here from my findings one of the slowest (than elsewhere in the world) with also 5-10 cm(1-2") growth for 6 months. To conclude, invasive plants are replenishing some harder types terrains and improves ecology and do not spread enormously. Best greetings

One of the characteristics of invasive plants is their ability to propagate freely and easily. So there is not much of an argument to be made about specific soil type limiting the spread :-) If they will germinate seeds or root rhziomes in it, then they will grow. One of the species invasive in my area has a long and well-documented reputation for growing in quite harsh conditions.....like the cracks in sidewalks and abandoned parking lots or the rocky rubble of highway verges. Where there is a will there is a way :-)

To assume that because invasive plants may grow under unfavorable conditions they are somehow "improving ecology" is just fallacious thinking. By defintion, if the plant is a listed invasive species, then it has demonstrated an ability to negatively impact the ecology. And if they are a listed invasive then the spread is also significant!!

It is critical to remember that the other primary factor with invasive plant species is that they will always be location-specific.....what is invasive and problematic in one region or area or country can be perfectly well behaved in another. That's why it is not valid to make assumptions on plants in your area based on others' experiences with them elsewhere.

i like albizia julibrissin but at the same time i dont like them

I would bet its ground squirrels ! they do that to my mock mulberry tree.

Just searching about mimosa and happened upon this thread. I can tell you without a doubt deer will eat mimosa. Just saw 2 doe chowing down on my 4 ft one. But I'm sure it will recover. I know they can be toxic to cows, goats, etc. and I've read mimosas are a deer resistant plant. Maybe we've got it wrong, lol.