Re: Deer Device

In a message dated 2/23/01 2:52:07 AM Eastern Standard Time, Meum71@aol.com 
writes:

<< house.  I counted over 300 plants of the above Orchid with about half of 
them 
 blooming.
 In the late 80's and early 90's the deer and woodchuck populations shot up 
 and by 1995 All the orchids were gone and I have not seem one since. >>

Thank you Paul, for this thoughful reply.  In my surrounding woods and 
brushland are missing so many plants, I could not begin to enumerate them.

All plants that emerge early, that is before the shrubs and trees leaf out 
and the grasses get tall, are eaten immediately.  Plants of the lily family 
are the first to go.

There are no hepatica here, no woodlilies, no trillium, and a host of others. 
We have cool woods with acid soils.  Many early blooming wildflowers are 
native to these conditions.  Seedling trees of many species are also missing. 
Various mosses seem to do OK and ferns are left alone. You can walk in the 
wood in the spring and will find nothing in bloom.

In the book, "My Connecticut Garden" is a fine discussion of the ecological 
changes in native plant growth due to overpopulation of deer and it's equal 
evil, dwindling lack of homeland for the deer.  The author, draws a picture 
of woodland in his area with no hemlocks replacing those lost to storm or old 
age.  In no instance do you find anger with deer, it is simply a situation 
created by man and then blamed on the deer.  The gardener is the innocent 
when he tries to pursue his hobby and bumps into this situation.

Paul is correct on electric fencing.  Nothing else works.  We can watch does 
and fawns in the very early spring, herds in the fall.  Before the fence we 
could not garden in peace.  If you are fearing a mugging by a deer herd every 
morning the garden is not a pleasure.  I have many hosta clumps and by 
midsummer all would be one inch stumps in the garden.  I never saw a lily 
bloom.  Hydrangea is another favorite.

An article published in a local paper asserts that oue NYS EPA now advises 
that questions are handled this way.  You either shoot the deer if you have 
an agricultural permit or you find something else to do with your time.  
People in NYS are ambivalent on deer management. Those with damages want 
action and those who like driving in the fall and watching the herds along 
the Hudson River and elsewhere are against any violence toward animals.

In summary, if you garden is regularly raided and if you love that garden, 
you will need to put up a fence.  No one gardener is going to solve this 
problem for the country.

Claire Peplowski
NYS z4

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