The raccoons are back. They've left pilot holes all over the garden as they continue their relentless quest to remove the grubs from my soil. The lawn we inherited with the garden is long gone but the grubs aren't so I guess they consume more than just grass roots. If that's the case, I suppose I should be grateful that the raccoons still pay me regular visits, even if this means that I spend a half-hour several mornings a week filling in the holes they leave behind and replanting any bulbs they uncover. I notice more empty snail shells and fewer live slugs and snails too, even though I haven't applied snail killer in months.
Like the raccoons, snails leave calling cards. I found an interesting one this week.
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| Doesn't that look like a heart? Was the snail thanking me for providing it with a nice, juicy Agave attenuata leaf? It's never a positive to find a hole in an agave but it took some of the sting away when the hole looks more like art than vandalism. |
The squirrels have also returned. I left the bird feeders empty all summer and the squirrels virtually disappeared. But earlier this month, I noticed their sudden return. Although the bird feeders remained empty, they somehow knew that it was time to harvest the persimmons. They also seem to think I need more guava trees as they've been planting the unripe guavas they don't eat. One also thinks I need another lemon tree. But nowhere have they been more helpful than with my preparations for Halloween.
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| Like the snail, the squirrel preferred to work on his art in private. He attempted camouflage when I interrupted him. |
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| He worked on his carving for days. Who needs Martha Stewart's help in carving pumpkins? |
Last year, I placed skeleton rats around my pumpkin and, for a time, they kept the squirrels at a distance. Or, perhaps that was just a coincidence. This year, I was unable to find the rats and so left the skeleton cat in charge. He wasn't very effective. I found the rats earlier this week and added them to the mix but the squirrel wasn't deterred.
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| The rats had cleverly hidden in a box |
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| The cat looked more impressive with his rat friends by his side but the squirrel wasn't put off |
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| The human skeleton just lay about doing nothing |
But why did I think I could do better decorating the pumpkin than the squirrel? Really, is there a scarier pumpkin than this one?
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| Gross, isn't it? It even has bugs. Unfortunately, it won't last until Halloween. It's going in the green bin today for pick-up tomorrow. |
When you think about it, it's just a matter of perspective. Who needs garden fairies when you've got raccoons, snails, and squirrels working for you? Whether they're a help or a hindrance is all a matter of attitude.
For more Wednesday Vignettes,
visit Anna at Flutter & Hum.
All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
