Re: Goat-proof plants?
- Subject: Re: Goat-proof plants?
- From: K* H*
- Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2001 05:35:17 -0700 (PDT)
I suspect goats' dining habits are more adventurous than those of deer but
I can offer my observations about which plants the abundant deer in this
area have avoided. The deer come out of the hills at night I suspect
because the surrounding range land has been heavily overgrazed. The will
try almost anything once unless it very resinous. Therefore they apparently
have never tried the Araucaria, Juniperus, Cedrus, Pinus, Abies, and
Sequoiadendron. They never bother the Citrus, Laurus, and Umbellularia
either. They seem to avoid all sorts of poppies (Papaveraceae) presumably
since they don't like the morphine. There was once a deer size bite missing
from a huge Datura bloom, but thereafter the Datura are completely immune.
Euphorbia lathyrus is avoided but another small spiny Euphorbia was
sampled. An odd observation is that the deer avoid Heteromeles but devour
Raphiolepis to the point that it is useless for me. Also, though the deer
will readily jump a 6' chain link fence, a 5' electric fence effectively
deters them.
