I suppose most suburban gardeners have some mammals to administer with in their garden – squirrels , lapin and cervid being the top nuisance in my surface area , so far . That is , until this rich - and - felicitous woodchuck adopt up residency under my neighbor ’s shed , and we think it has a mate , too . ( We ’re not certain – they all appear the same to us . )
The first flora to fall dupe to woodchuck were Echinacea purpurea , which were sheared to the undercoat ( sorry , goldfinches ! ) and the spent flower of comfrey – which I do n’t neglect at all . That ’s all so far in my back yard .
Sweet Potato Vine and Persian Shield .
Sweet Potato Vine and Persian Shield.
My front garden is just starting to show groundhog damage , most obviously the sweet potato vine here in before / after photos taken just a daytime apart . So fleeting ! And I ’d read that “ before ” photo so I could boast about how great this mate face , proclaiming “ see Ma – no blossom ! ” or some such . Ha !
Our resident groundhogs have also defoliate several Morning Glory vines I ’m train as seclusion screening , among several other vines ( Crossvine , Sweet Autumn Clematis and Purple Hyacinth Vine ) but Morning Glory is the most vigorous of them all . Or was until the ‘ hogs got ’em ( a fitting nickname , yield their appetence ) .
Screen shot from Cosmos and Cleome.com
These select few plants ( thankfully ) among the many I have on offer for nonmigratory mammals are right in pipeline with what my research reveals about their prefer diet . For instance , I found this inclination of plants eat by Marmota monax in the Pennsylvania garden of the bloggerCosmos and Cleome . Echinacea , sweet potato vine and forenoon glory are all there ! The practiced news is that they ’re the only plant life on this lean that I ’m growing this year , so that gave me promise .
Until I did moreresearchand learned that “ In the state of nature , woodchuck can survive up to six years with two or three being average . ” credibly more like six because we ’re curt on groundhog piranha around here ( just the occasional red fox ) .
Interestingly , “ When appall , they practice a high - pitch whistle to discourage the residual of the settlement , hence the name ‘ whistle - pig’ . Groundhogs may oink when fighting , seriously injured , or caught by a predator . Other sounds groundhogs may make are low barks and a auditory sensation bring forth by grinding their tooth . ”Have a listen .
Sweet Potato Vine and Persian Shield.
What ’s hard to find are enquiry - base lists of what they eat , beyond “ principally wild grasses and other botany , include berries and agricultural crops , when useable … sheep sorrel , timothy - grass , crowfoot , tearthumb , agrimony , blood-red and disgraceful razz , mulberry , buckwheat , plantain , wild lettuce , all miscellany of clover , and alfalfa . ” Never heard of some of those ! We DO have trefoil all around us ( though not in MY lawn - less garden . )
Fromanother source:“They especially like certain garden crops like carrots , beans and peas . They will even go up tree to eat apples and pears . woodchuck have been known to annihilate an intact garden by get a single bite out of a 12 different courgette or capsicum . They do the same to pumpkins ruining granger ’ seasonal chance of selling them at Halloween . ” Glad I ’m not essay to feed any humans from my garden .
On the theme of Marmota monax damage , it ’s disheartening toreadthat “ An adult woodchuck will exhaust more than a pound sign of botany daily . In early June , woodchucks ’ metabolism slows , food intake growth , their weight increases by as much as 100 % as they produce fat deposit to sustain them during hibernation and late winter . ”
Screen shot from Cosmos and Cleome.com
But enough reading – sentence for activity ! I bought some of this repellant and am spraying the cadaver of my most vulnerable works .
And my neighbour and I have decided to pool our resources and hire a wildlife - trapping ship’s company to take our ‘ squealer by . And not just for the sake of our gardens . We ’re learning about possible scathe to the home and sheds they live underneath .
So to our chubby , voracious underground neighbour I say – “ Safe change of location ! ”
