deer damaged tomato plant
Our backyard borders a wooded area
and is frequented by a plethora of animals
and animal species.
We love the wildlife and have,
many times,
spoken affectionately about the diversity
of species, and total numbers,
that visit us.
Whitetail deer, rabbit, squirrel, chipmunks,
wild turkey, skunk, opossum, an occasional
eastern box turtle, and others drop by
from time to time.
Not a day goes by without several of these
making an appearance.
Food is plentiful throughout the habitat.
Why then do they feast on my few
native perennials and four tomato plants?
Perhaps it is the lure of “forbidden” fruit?
My attempts at keeping them away
have been mostly unsuccessful.
Dried blood, homemade pepper spray
(using Tabasco sauce),
a type of garlic scented spray, etc.
have met with little success.
I refuse, and can’t afford,
to spend much time or money
nurturing and protecting these few plantings.
Forget a fence and long ago I switched
my “weapon of choice” from a gun to a camera.
I shoot to capture God’s creation
in photography not to kill anymore.
Next year, I will try a few more plantings,
some of those that escaped
the attention of my animal friends,
and one or two new “experimental” plants.
The right garden for the area
takes time… I will let His will be done,
as I too continue to grow in Him.
It is the process, the journey;
the lessons learned
by which all is developed for good.
"What lies behind us
and what lies before us
are tiny matters compared
to what lies within us."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Today I have given you
the choice between life and death,
between blessings and curses.
Now I call on heaven and earth
to witness the choice you make.
Oh, that you would choose life,
so that you
and your descendants might live!”
- Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT
Our backyard borders a wooded area
and is frequented by a plethora of animals
and animal species.
We love the wildlife and have,
many times,
spoken affectionately about the diversity
of species, and total numbers,
that visit us.
Whitetail deer, rabbit, squirrel, chipmunks,
wild turkey, skunk, opossum, an occasional
eastern box turtle, and others drop by
from time to time.
Not a day goes by without several of these
making an appearance.
Food is plentiful throughout the habitat.
Why then do they feast on my few
native perennials and four tomato plants?
Perhaps it is the lure of “forbidden” fruit?
My attempts at keeping them away
have been mostly unsuccessful.
Dried blood, homemade pepper spray
(using Tabasco sauce),
a type of garlic scented spray, etc.
have met with little success.
I refuse, and can’t afford,
to spend much time or money
nurturing and protecting these few plantings.
Forget a fence and long ago I switched
my “weapon of choice” from a gun to a camera.
I shoot to capture God’s creation
in photography not to kill anymore.
Next year, I will try a few more plantings,
some of those that escaped
the attention of my animal friends,
and one or two new “experimental” plants.
The right garden for the area
takes time… I will let His will be done,
as I too continue to grow in Him.
It is the process, the journey;
the lessons learned
by which all is developed for good.
"What lies behind us
and what lies before us
are tiny matters compared
to what lies within us."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Today I have given you
the choice between life and death,
between blessings and curses.
Now I call on heaven and earth
to witness the choice you make.
Oh, that you would choose life,
so that you
and your descendants might live!”
- Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT
We visited San Juan Island recently and learned that deer, or at least deer there, don't eat Lavender. Those choices they make.
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