I know conservationists caution against feeding wildlifeBut that's exactly what you did when you planted those flowers! [lol] From what I hear (from neighbors!) is that any type of flowers will do! I live in the middle of a quarter mile long, east-west, dead-end street. 100+ acres of golf course on the south. 140+ acres of mostly un-mown field with a couple of large ponds on the north. The east end of that acreage has ~15 acres of woods.
Saw two just like that one around my shed yesterday morning, Edouard. They were mowing off the tops of the wildflowers I have planted along the property line. >:(
I know conservationists caution against feeding wildlife but it would be mighty tempting to buy some bags of bulk acorns to keep little guys like that from starving. But to tell you the truth, that one doesn't look much different than the two I saw and mine have plenty to eat... a 1/2 acre of my wildflowers and plenty of green grass in the yard. After the wettest June and July in many years, there's no shortage of deer foliage along the eastern seaboard.
It's not rare to see 6 to 12 deer at the eastern entrance at dusk (probably at dawn, also, but I don't want to get up to see!). They seldom venture too far west because of all the houses/dogs/people. However, those living near the east end of the street complain about these critters eating just about any plant they find in the yard! [banghead]
"Nature" seems to be encroaching ever closer to the house! Eating breakfast this morning I see a the neighborhood cat climbing up the tall Crepe Myrtle just outside the window. In a few seconds it had disappeared into the very thick foliage in the upper limbs. Next thing I know, I see it coming down with a small bundle of feathers in its mouth. Survival of the fittest... or, at least, the best climbers!
My mistake was mentioning the event to my ex-Daughter-in-Law (long story!). She was overcome with pity, sadness, and alarm. While trying to calm her down she saw the cat making a return trip to the 'fresh produce department'. She rushed out the door making all kinds of noise and saved any remaining siblings... at least until the cat out waits her! [rolleyes2]
<snip>But that's exactly what you did when you planted those flowers! <snip>
my wildflowers are in a small way a contributor to Virginia's deer population explosionBut very small and localized. Deer populations are literally exploding all over the country. Apparently, the elimination of all predators is the biggest factor. Expanding city limits further reduce hunting, even while reducing a lot of habitat. Unfortunately, that leaves the deer to suffer from malnutrition, disease, and road kill events. I think your only solution is a razor-wire topped, electrical fenced are. Perhaps with randomly timed or movement activated sensors to activate small dynamite caps.
I have finally found something that deer won't eat: Colorado Blue Spruce trees. They won't touch 'em.
Some places should be selfie free... standing in front of a moose or a bison, etc.Seems Nature has a way of dealing with the less mentally 'talented'. [rolleyes2]
Some places should be selfie free
Are those mule deer you've got out there?
The most common plant species consumed by mule deer are:
Among trees and shrubs: Artemisia tridentata (big sagebrush), Cercocarpus ledifolius (curlleaf mountain mahogany), Cercocarpus montanus (true mountain mahogany), Cowania mexicana (Mexican cliffrose), Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen), Purshia tridentata (antelope bitterbrush), Quercus gambelii (Gambel oak), and Rhus trilobata (skunkbush sumac).[15]
Among forbs: Achillea millefolium (western yarrow), Antennaria sp. (pussytoes), Artemisia frigida (fringed sagebrush), Artemisia ludoviciana (Louisiana sagewort), Aster spp., Astragalus sp. (milkvetch), Balsamorhiza sagittata (arrowleaf balsamroot), Cirsium sp. (thistle), Erigeron spp. (fleabane), Geranium sp., Lactuca serriola (prickly lettuce), Lupinus spp. (lupine), Medicago sativa (alfalfa), Penstemon spp., Phlox spp., Polygonum sp. (knotweed/smartweed), Potentilla spp. (cinquefoil), Taraxacum officinale (dandelion), Tragopogon dubius (western salsify), Trifolium sp. (clover), and Vicia americana (American vetch).[15]
Among grasses and grasslike species: Agropyron, Elymus (wheatgrasses), Elytrigia, Pascopyrum sp. (wheatgrasses), Pseudoroegneria spicatum (bluebunch wheatgrass), Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass), Carex spp. (sedge), Festuca idahoensis (Idaho fescue), Poa fendleriana (muttongrass), Poa pratensis (Kentucky bluegrass), and other Poa spp. (bluegrass).[15]
Mule deer have also been known to eat ricegrass, gramagrass, bromegrass, and needlegrass, as well as antelope brush, bearberry, bitter cherry, bitterbrush, black oak, California buckeye, ceanothus, cedar, cliffrose, cottonwood, creek dogwood, creeping barberry, dogwood, Douglas fir, elderberry, fendlera, goldeneye, holly-leaf buckthrorn, jack pine, knotweed, kohleria, manzanita, mesquite, oak, pine, rabbitbrush, ragweed, redberry, scrub oak, serviceberry (including Pacific serviceberry), Sierra juniper, silktassel, snowberry, stonecrop, sunflower, tesota, thimbleberry, turbinella oak, velvet elder, western chokecherry, wild cherry, and wild oats.[19] Where available, mule deer also eat a variety of wild mushrooms, which are most abundant in late summer and fall in the southern Rocky Mountains; mushrooms provide moisture, protein, phosphorus, and potassium.[14][19]
All we have here are whitetail deer. And the only other largish critters are the ever more common coyote, the rare black bear, and the even rarer bobcat (both more likely in the south and east portion of Ohio.) Anything else is groundhog sized or smaller.
Great pictures Edouard (as always!)
We live in the Wasatch Mountain Range at about 8,300 feet. We are 30 minutes removed from the closest town. I just took this picture through our kitchen window.
You can see my irrigation drip line running across the ground there. We are attempting to get about a dozen Blue Spruce trees started. You can see new growth on the end of the branches. It is light blue in colour.
Is she pregnant?
In the winter we will use Irish Spring bar soap and keep our fingers crossedWe usually use Dial, but we also use deodorant, instead of crossed fingers... So far, no problems, although we do take more baths in the Spring and Summer. In Winter, we only go to town on Saturday, so onest a week is fine! [tup]
We routinely loose our bird feeders if we forget to bring them in at night but the bees just quietly buzz away.I know Alaska and Minnesota both claim mosquitos as State Birds, but are NH bees so big that they can carry off bird feeders?! :o
Man, these are some great wildlife photos!
What may work for most of you is this...Our landscape plants were continually getting haircuts until I finally tried "Liquid Fence" (available Amazon, Lowe's, HD, local nurseries etc).
I hear you about the unfair actions the state is requiring. My folks live in San Jose. For years, my Dad has had a small container garden and a couple of raised beds in which he has grown a couple of tomato plants, some sweet potatoes, cukes, lettuce etc. It is something he has loved doing because it was fun for him, gave us even more to talk about and share plus put a small amount of food on the table. This year he gave it all up because the had to conserve more water than they had already been doing for years. I doubt he uses 3 bathtubs full of water all season. Meanwhile, we see celebrities watering their huge lawns. Doesn't seem fair, does it?
Any place I can check out that wagon of yours?
Very nice story about your wagon, Edouard! Good luck with the bearing
and I hope that billy goat wagon is yours forever.