Hard To Swallow

The critters around the yard and my garden beds are giving me a real challenge this Summer.  For months, I've been watching the darn rabbits devour flowers and plants digging holes to get under the fence around my garden beds close to the house.  Placing them at the base of the chicken wire fencing, the other day I hauled rocks.  So far, so good as far as the rabbits go.

Dawn and dusk always bring them out.  Wriggling and rolling, they take dust baths in the dead, dried patches of the yard.  Taking this shot from a mere 15' away, I could not beleive it didn't budge even when I said, "Hey Bunny, get out of my yard!"

Then it was the deer.  They ate everything!!  Yet how could I get angry with my resident doe when she brought her twins to graze on my hydrangeas? 

This week, when, once again, I climbed into the garden bed to weed, I fund something new.  Before I continue telling you what I discovered, I need to back up a few months.  

I don't remember when I discovered a large bunch of my Echinacea lying on  the ground.  And apparently it had been there a while because it was shriveled up and dead.  Thinking it got pulled out by mistake the last time I weeded in a rush, I threw it in the weed bin and continued working.  Now although that chunk left a pretty big gap in my patch, I knew that the plant always self seeds and is very prolific.  I wasn't worried, although apparently I should have been.

Lately I've been noticing that some of the stems of various perennials were just lying on the ground as if they broke off.  Upon closer investigation, I found chipmunks had burrowed beneath the root system of the Evening Primrose, Lamb's Ear and Bachelor's Button.  Destroying root systems as they built their tunnels, I began doing some research about those cute little buggers.

Well Sunday I saw this...three nice Cone Flower leaves and a bud very close to the ground.  In fact, the ore I looked, I thought, "How odd...there is no stem."  

Well, when I gently lifted the three leaves and bud up to see where the "stem" was, look what I came across!!  Yes, I was surprised.  But then I thought, those darn chipmunks that live under my garden bed had bitten off a little more than they could chew.  And you know what?  I was glad!!!

Has anyone ever tried to deter chipmunks using hot peppers or cayenne
 pepper?  Does it work?  My BFF suggested a recipe he found that includes Lysol, Epsom Salt and water.  Does anyone know if that would harm my plants' remaining root system?

just seeing, saying, and sharing...

Hard To Swallow

with you and those at

Camera Critters

Saturday Critters