Re: Who's Been Eating my Iris?
- To: i*@Rt66.com
- Subject: Re: Who's Been Eating my Iris?
- From: C*@aol.com
- Date: Mon, 25 Mar 1996 08:38:27 -0500
In a message dated 96-03-24 22:39:03 EST, you write:
>Not as in 'did not make it through the winter,
>rotting beneath the water' gone, but 'neat little holes where they used to
>be' gone. I looked at the Japanese iris nearby that I planted last spring,
>and half of them were gone too. The only thing left is some dead leaves.
>The list of possible suspects includes, but is not limited to, deer,
>squirrels, skunks, and raccoons. The deer have eaten the leaves of a
>couple of remaining yellow flags, but somehow the holes don't seem their
>style. Has anybody else had this problem? Any ideas on how I should defend
>the survivors?
One possible suspect is the vole, which eats plants, and travels through mole
tunnels...the mole of course doesn't eat the plants as it feeds on worms and
insects. Voles can pull huge hosta plants down into the tunnel, leaving only
the tops of the leaves. I have never had them eat irises though....but then
I have hundreds of hostas which are apparently one of their favorities...My
cat Yo is the best vole control I have found...and they don't live long in my
garden. Here today, laid out on my deck as a "Yo present" tomorrow. Every
gardener should have a good cat. Clarence Mahan:)
