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Rabbits or Voles -Reply

Dear Alan,

I have never found wildflowers dug up in my study site, which is chock
full of voles, but then again, none of them were transplanted, and
thus easy to dig up.  I might suspect racoons.  Why?  They're
incredibly curious, and something with a new smell in their
environment, like fresh potting soil, would be too much to resist. 
Alternatively, it could be moles, which are well-known for their
digging abilities.

To find out who is digging up your flowers, you can leave out some
sticky shelf paper attached to a plywood board (put the sticky side
up--it's sticky enough that it takes tracks well, but the critters
won't get stuck).  When the critters walk across it, they leave thier
incriminating muddy footprints.  Then you can cover the prints with
clear plastic wrap to preserve them, and they'll photocopy well too. 
A trip to the library to look at some books such as Animal Tracks by
Olaus J. Murie (a Peterson Field Guide) should reveal the culprit, and
you can take action accordingly.

--Chris Kodani

>>> <Alan_Rider@ILLINOVA.COM> 07/28/98 08:47am >>>
I have transplanted a number of wildflowers and find that within a
couple
of days (sometimes overnite) they are dug up and dead.  At first I
thought
it was rabbits, but now I am not so sure.  I now wonder if my problem
is
voles, which I have plenty in the area.
Can anyone confirm and/or comment?
Any suggestions?

Area is in Central ILLinois.

thanks


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