He's cute, he's buff, he's got eyes that would melt a chocolate bar in the middle of Antarctica, and he thinks your lilacs are lunch. He's part of a growing problem in urban areas around the world -- the wild animal that's been crowded out of his habitat wants to move into the habitat that replaced his home.
It's a perfect deal from his viewpoint. You've got food, water, shade, shelter, and you discourage BigBadThings (which, after all, would eat you and yours, too). It's a great place for him to raise his family in peace. From your standpoint, the dung and ruined shrubbery and damaged tools and fences aren't worth the hassle of having your outdoor kinfolk come for a visit. What's a gardener to do -- particularly a wildscaper? After all, weren't you supposed to be attracting wildlife and providing for them in the first place?
Having wildlife is a bit like having children. If you let your kids rampage all around the neighborhood, be assured that your neighbors will call the police and generally make trouble for you. If the wildlife that you attract damages the neighborhood, you will have problems with your neighbors. Wildscaping isn't about creating problem wildlife -- it's about finding and building appropriate places for it. It's also about community solutions (because wildscaping can involve more than just your yard) for community wildlife problems.
Once a month, I'll discuss some of the common pests and ways to deal with them. Since the question just arose last week, this week I'll deal with deer and how to discourage them from turning your yard into their smorgasbord.
I think there must be as many ways of getting rid of deer as
there are deer themselves. Unfortunately, the only two most
effective solutions are killing the deer or putting up deer-proof
fences. Both of them involve some complications. Shooting is, of
course, a permanent deterrant provided you can aim a gun
effectively. However, neighbors don't often like the sound of
firearms and someone's bound to call the cops. You can try
dragging Bambi across your threshold like a deceased burglar to
convince the cops he was breaking and entering when you turned
him into venison, but I'm not sure that will go over well with
the Fish and Game Department. Deer-proof fencing around a garden (which has to be 7 to 8 feet tall) will keep them out of the
fenced area but can cause your bank account to wilt faster than
an underwatered impatiens. Should you decide to fence your area,
ask your neighborhood garden store (or feed store) about
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Mel. White's Wildscaping topic, please visit the Discussions page.