Garden Resident Wildlife

While I was sitting on my deck, admiring the neat rows of vegetables growing in my garden, an uninvited four-legged quest squeezed under our wooden privacy fence, hopped over to my luscious Romaine lettuce and started his evening feast. I had not put up my chicken wire fencing this spring thinking I did not need it because I had not seen any rabbits, at least not until now. I quickly ran the cute, but damaging bunny off and went to the shed to drag out my fence posts and chicken wire. I later spied the same rabbit hopping along the fence, looking for an opening in the chicken wire, which he did not find. Although rabbits are not beneficial to gardens, eating every garden vegetable they encounter, many wildlife creatures are helpful and are respected by gardeners. Although I consider all garden creatures to be wildlife, such as earthworms, snails, slugs, nematodes, and other tiny creatures, I would like to give a small rundown on the larger mammals that frequent gardens and whether they are friend or foe.

Creatures of the underworld

Moles and voles are not friends to any gardener. These tunneling troublemakers destroy not only gardens, but also entire lawns in their quest to find food. Moles eat earthworms, grubs, and a few insects, while voles are mainly herbivores, although some species will eat insects and even the young of other voles. Many gardeners use poison, traps, and other devices trying to get rid of these destructive creatures, but most of these methods fail. What works for one gardener may not work for another; it is trial and error.

Creatures that walk the earth

During the day, numerous creatures may visit a garden, many of which are foes. A friend of mine once watched a squirrel steel a large tomato from his garden, carry it up a telephone pole, and proceeded to eat it. Problem was the squirrel only took a couple bites and then scampered down the pole, leaving the tomato on top. When there are several days of dry weather and water is scarce, some animals like squirrels will only eat enough of a tomato to quench their thirst. I mentioned early how destructive rabbits can be in a garden.

Birds, frogs, turtles, and some beneficial insects and bugs are the true daylight friends of gardeners. You will want to keep these guys around because they eat harmful insects. Attract birds by putting up birdhouses and birdbaths. Provide old cracked flowerpots for hiding places for frogs and toads. Consider putting in a frog pond, but be mindful that you frog population may greatly increase. Turtles are on the fence regarding them being a gardeners friend or foe. Although they do eat insects and bugs, they also like to chow down on garden fruits, such as melons.

Creatures of the night

Although I have never seen a porcupine in my garden, I did see one while walking in the woods not too far from my home. Being a nocturnal creature is one reason for their scarcity. They are herbivores, and have no trouble filling their bellies with late night munchies from a vegetable garden. This is the reason gardeners consider them foes and will go to great lengths to rid their gardens of these prickly pests.

A night creature that is considered a foe by gardeners is the dreaded field mouse. These little guys can cause major damage to garden crops, and because they come out only at night, you probably will never see them. My spring peas were nibbled down to the ground in one night by these pests. One way to protect a vegetable from field mice is to cover them with prickly twigs. This will help deter them and is an alternative to using poisons.

Another night creature, considered a friend to the gardener, is the bat. Although its appearance may be creepy, sending shivers down your spine, this bug-eyed flier will eradicate your garden of moths, beetles, mosquitoes, and other bugs and insects. If you do not have any bats and would like some, build a bat house and they will come.

A resident fox will help take care of those annoying squirrels, rabbits, and field mice. They have even been known to dig up moles and voles. A nocturnal creature that hunts at night the urban fox is a true friend to a gardener. If you have foxes in your area, be sure to leave all garbage receptacles tightly closed, as they have been known to go dumpster diving.

More articles from this contributor:

The Destructive Field Mouse: How to Keep Them out of Your Garden

Beneficial Insects - Bugs that Help a Garden

Turtles Can be a Welcome Tenant or Dreaded Foe in the Garden

Source: Master Gardener Classes