I had skunks dig up my lawn looking for grubs, but not as bad as that. That’s horrible.

I'm going to say that skunks are the culprits, too. But they are after the grubs and other insect larvae in the soil, as well as earthworms. I've read that skunks will even dig up moles and shrews.

Whatever it is doesn't touch any of my vegetables or even the soil around them. Only the turf is dig up and the soil underneath looks like it hasn't been touched.

I haven't seen skunks ever or heard of skunk attacks near me. Are there other signs to look for a place to contact to find out if skunks are native to my area?

Raccoons are present in my area. Could it be them?How do i deter them from doing this?

Yes, there are skunks in Queens. They are digging for grubs. To deter them, spread milky spore on the grass. It kills grubs naturally.

Yes, skunks live where you live. You won’t see them because they come out at night. google skunks in nyc

Article from 2014

https://nypost.com/2014/01/17/skunks-on-the-rise-in-central-park/

Skunks peel back the grass to find food.

Info on skunk damage

https://ext.vt.edu/lawn-garden/turfandgardentips/tips/skunk-damage.html

Thanks. The second link says that if its either skunks or raccoons I should be treating my lawn for grubs. I really wanted to avoid having to use pesticides, I just gave up using them after another post I had on here.

Milky spore treats grubs. It’s not toxic to anything but the grubs.

Milky grub sounds really safe from the quick google search about it. My only concern is that its a little expensive and only attacks grubs of the Japanese beetle. What if I have grubs from other beetles/bugs?

Milky spore is relatively expensive and requires multiple applications. Beneficial nematodes are also used to control other types of grubs. Article explaining the difference if you want to examine their rear ends.

https://www.ecolandscaping.org/05/pests-pest-management/controlling-grubs-milky-spore-disease-or-beneficial-nematodes/

I’m not a big fan of chemical controls either, but if my lawn looked like that I would be putting down a chemical grub control. On the other hand, if you don’t want to use a chemical control, the time and expense of regularly repairing the lawn damage would probably justify the cost of the milky spore. Your culprits are most likely to be JB, IMO.

The lawn forum might get you more ideas or suggestions.

Saw your other post in the Lawn forum. The Yard Doctor forum messes up the comment section, see if you can eliminate that forum from your post.

Seems like its too late to edit it. What does the Yard doctor forum do to mess it up?

From what I understand it used to be a forum that was not answered by the public and it didnt allow comments. Sometimes it allows them after a while. Not sure. Maybe if you wait a while. I do see some comments on other posts but initially they are disabled

ETA. I see the comments are turNed on now.

edited. Not working now. I’ve complained to houzz repeatedly about this but apparently they aren’t interested in addressing it. Your post should show up eventually. Can you delete it and repost just to the lawn forums? Or wait a while and see if it shows up.

Contact your local Cornell Extension office for help! This is what they are there for.

And please do your own research on the benefits of milky spore and how to decide if that's the best choice for you.

Skunks are mostly nocturnal animals, shy and reclusive. I don't think there is such a thing as skunk "attacks". They live everywhere in the US, by the way; quite common in your location.

Anytime you wish to start a new thread, do so.....but don't add ANY other forums to your options. It's a stupid Houzz gimmick encouraging you to do so but it is entirely unnecessary and even annoying.

At first, I would have suggested squirrels burying nuts, but the pattern is not right. It may be an animal digging for grubs.

Skunks - I've had this in past and looks exactly like this. It literally looks like they're pulling up bits of sod. (And these were very well established lawns...)