Re: Beginners need advice on watering & deterring animals

This spring they ate the blooms off the black walnut tree in the corner of
my yard. There is no nuts for them. We can not have bird feeders for them.
They destroy them.They are starving because of over population. They have
very few enemies here. A few are killed by cars.
I cannot afford food for 100 squirrels. More if I start feeding them. Many
cities are having squirrel, Canadian geese, opossums, and raccoon problems
in town.

I love wild life but in its place and it should be controlled where no
natural enemies exist. The laws will not allow you to do it in town.

I have watched the squirrels while they are eating the rhizomes. This year
they are pulling a lot out of the ground. 25 or 30 so far. These are newly
planted ones. I have seen them cut the fan off the older plantings and cut
on the tops of uncovered rhizomes. I have not lost an iris yet from them but
I have lost quite a few seed pods, none this year.

They cut the roots off two rhizomes of Miss Mauve three times last year.
They dug it up 5 times. I saw no increases or bloom this year on it.


Mike Greenfield
redear@Infinet.com
SW Ohio Zone 5b
----- Original Message -----
From: <Autmirislvr@aol.com>
To: <iris@hort.net>
Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2003 8:40 AM
Subject: Re: [iris] Beginners need advice on watering & deterring animals


> In a message dated 9/10/2003 10:56:26 PM Central Standard Time,
> redear@infinet.com writes:
>
> > Squirrels will eat part of the rhizome and sometimes just eat the leaves
> > off
> > or the roots.
>
> If you determine that squirrels are the problem, one possibility would be
to
> supply them with a preferred food.  Around here, they like corn &
Sunflower
> seed in addition to the nuts.  Squirrels don't bother my iris until time
to bury
> winter food.  Then, they bury things in my pots, managing to uncover the
iris
> in the process.  I've never seen where they try to eat the iris.  Not
> disputing the fact, just wondering if the abundant food here makes a
difference.
>
> Crickets are a problem again this year.  As I dig, I'm finding evidence of
> new involvement and I'm actually driving large (well fed) crickets from
the
> beds.  I'm hoping they don't invade the hundreds of bags that contain the
> rhizomes.
>
> Betty W. in South-central KY Zone 6
>
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