Well, we’d been warned. Deer will rub antlers on young trees.
But they seemed to leave our Lacey Oak alone all year — well, as it turns out that’s because it isn’t until fall that they do the antler rub thing! We noticed the damage while planting our new Anachacho Orchid nearby. Cry. I haven’t had a deer incident this major since they ate my beloved Spotted Squill, a.k.a Alien Tentacle Plant! Well, there’s also the pineapple sage, but I can’t be 100% sure on that one, as it was closer to the house.
I think the tree will be ok. The damage isn’t all the way around, and it’s on only one of the three main trunks. But I’m also very glad we noticed it today and not tomorrow, because tonight more damage might have occurred.
And luckily when we planted the Lacey Oak, I also bought the materials to protect it with. Perhaps actually using said materials might have been the wiser path… But we at least had them in the garage and didn’t have to go shopping.
So now we have one of those yards with the goofy fences around the trees. We decided to put the Anacacho behind bars with the Lacey Oak to protect it, too. It’s the first understory tree to go under the story of the Lacey Oak. This would be more impressive were the trees, say, bigger. But they will grow!
Now for some good news — the disappearing fountain is back and functioning again! We never did solve the mystery of the shifted rock, which led to the unexpected emptying of our new disappearing fountain and potential pump damage. But happily the pump still functions, and our fountain still remains the $40 disappearing fountain! We changed up the rock structure, so hopefully it will be harder for some creature to displace the tube. That little rock is only there for interest, not for directing the water flow.
Whether it was cat or deer or rain or human or Sasquatch that caused the tube to shift, we’ll never know. But I still think a deer is likely responsible for the removal of the nearby pineapple sage. And the nursery didn’t have any the last time I was there. I was sad. Oh deer.
Meredith – Sorry about your deer. Luckily, they don’t do it for very long, so your pretty little fences won’t have to stay forever. Reminds me of all my little milk crates scattered about when I plant tender, new things about which they might be curious! Glad your fountain is back in order. Aren’t you loving this rain?
Too bad about the tree. I’m sure you weren’t happy to put up the fencing. Just out of curiosity, how do you know it was deer that did the damage to the tree? You should be a tracker – like John Locke from LOST.
Wendy, I’m not sure what else could tear up the bark like that. It’s rather interesting that just this morning I saw a bit of an animal show that showed a white-tailed buck rubbing antlers on a tree. This afternoon, we found the damage. I also googled for info and found images of antler-damaged trees just like ours.
Diana — that’s good to know. I was hoping it might be temporary on the fencing. I like the milk crate idea — I might do that to protect these baby Rusty Blackhaws for awhile.
Wow you have been busy! And so are the deer here also. We have several families that could eat anything out there, but prefer the salad garden of my landscape. And why do the boys prefer to rub the bark off the young vulnerable trees? I guess the size of those trunks better suits the shape of the new antlers. I have used with pretty good success some deer and other pest repellents made of egg, pepper and other foul stuff. That might be an interesting “experiment” in your yard. I bought my “natural” repellant, but it sounds like something you could create and test!
During the main part of the year we had pretty good luck with just sprinkling around bits of dog hair and human hair, and the neighbor’s dog likes to pee on my front beds (grrrr), so the deer haven’t been too bad for us and are usually found elsewhere on the street. I know about pepper sprays but haven’t had to resort to them yet — what I read though is that the sprays are more effective at keeping deer from eating the plants, but not necessarily from them rubbing antlers on the plants in mating season. I guess those primal instincts just take over when it comes to getting the girl. If they are working for you, that’s great to know, and I might try some on the other new plants we got for the front yard.
Oh deery me…. plants and trees has been toys for animals for zillion of years. I have seen dogs pausing for a short while before they lift one of the hind legs to mark their presence or boundary…. We on the other hand do different thing about claiming land right, by having our names on a piece of paper called land title…. and to make it sound a little bit more authoritarian, we hang trespassing warning at the gate. Huh…. I have seen buffaloes and cattle scratching their thick hide on tree trunks. I guess deer sharpen its horns and test its worthiness on regular basis!!!!
~bangchik
Pineapple sage is on my list too. Lovely in salad. Just read about a pineapple mint?
Oh no! That’s too bad about your tree! I’d cry too! I hope it doesn’t kill the tree and bring disease. Sniff. I don’t have to worry about that in our neighborhood, thank goodness, but how wonderful to see such wildlife. Glad you got your fountain working again!