Varmints

Laura Cooper wrote:
> some mighty gophers. I actually had a tug of war with one, gopher
> underneath, me on top, both of us tugging on an aloe from either
side. 

I hate that when that happens. LOL

I
> also once heard one inside a huge old yucca trunk, apparently
hollowing it
> out. That this was during a drought may be some explanation, but
it was my
> first garden experience and very traumatic.

That's depressing.  I do seem to be having a worse then normal
problem
since it hasn't rained here since June 11th.  They are migrating to
the
watered areas.
 
> During this time Nick and I discovered a part of our nature we
hadn't known
> about. 
> I apologoze for any trauma caused by this letter. As I said, we
became
> aquainted with our darker selves during this period.

No trauma, I enjoyed the visions of dead and dying gophers.  I too
have
discovered my darker side.  My friend Diane who has the same
problems we
so says that if one dies, it should be required to come to the
surface
where we can see it's body.  Need some satisfaction out of life. :-)

> The wheelbarrow event was too much, even for Nick. We decided that
it would
> be better to let the creatures of the garden duke it out for
themselves. 
I am trying that now, not much is happening tho.  I keep telling my
hubby not to feed the cats.

We
> would augment natural enemies. So here is what works for us:
Gopher snakes,
> and any smart cat whose life has not been too soft. Our neighbor
released a
> gopher snake next door, and they have proliferated since (must
have been a
> mate waiting nearby). 

I came across a whole family of gopher snakes under a wood pile.
Must
have been 20 of them in there, all big!  How do the snakes get down
in
the tunnels when they always seem to be plugged?

Once a year we'll find a six footer in the house.
> Quite an event, thrilling even, and preferable to losing all the
plants. 
We get chicken snakes in the house sometimes, always a big shock.  I
just catch them and toss them back outside.  Had one drop out of a
tree
and hit my shoulder just the other day, nearly gave me a heart
attack.

Our
> cat Olympia also does her part. She is not an Abbysinian. Or even
very
> large. Just smart.

It scares me to think that the 6 cats living here, all the snakes,
all
the birds of prey, etc., are actually feeding on gophers and moles
yet I
am so infested.  I can't begin to imagine what it must be like
underground, the things nightmares are made from I'm sure!
 
> Best of luck to you-

Thanks, and to you too!

> P.S. Gopher purge doesn't work, traps don't work, poison can kill
things
> you'd rather keep, and forget about those underground sonic
thingies.

Yep, been there, done that.  What we need is a virus or bacteria
that
only infects gophers, nothing else.  They make stuff for
grasshoppers
and grubs, why not gophers?

Is there an actual use for gophers do you know?  I mean, like why
did
God make them and what purpose do they serve?  I figured in my
pitiful
sandy soil they brought sand up and mounded it on top of the leaves
which helps with decomposition.  Since sand is so compacted, maybe
their
tunnels allow air underground and water during heavy rains.  Did
they
keep some of the weeds in check but since there were so many we
couldn't
tell?  Does their urine and feces feed the trees? Do snakes and
birds of
prey actually ever get any of them?  Will something bad happen if I
were
to  magically kill them all off?  

I just want to have a small area with nice flowers, is that to much
to
ask?  I gave them 14 acres to themselves!!

Thanks for sharing,

Linda
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