What animal is eating my plants?

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    What a lovely morning we had.  Less humidity and not so warm as it was Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.  Tomorrow it is to be the same with this cold front that moved thru and is here now.  I will only water once today as the other days it was twice with each wagon and tall cart. 
Yes, we still have plants, and will continue to be here every day till July 3rd.  Looking at the calendar one more week of being here every day.  We will close at 6:00 on July 3rd and not open up with the plants here till after the Franklin Co fair.  Dates for the Franklin Co fair is July 10th-14th.    We will be moving plants on the 8th and the 9th so we will not be here.  We will move plants and stuff back on the 15th.  I will be around then on July 16th.  We will have had the wagons under the trees by the house, to help conserve moisture.  We will bring them out to water if you want to get some plants.  I will post on internet when I am back.  BUT open next week Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wed.  Love to have you stop in and pick up some filling plants for your gardens or pots.  Enjoy this lovely weather and be safe.
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Identify what critters are eating your plants.  By Doreen G. Howard
Be a critter detective! Here’s how to identify which animals are eating your garden plants, as well as which repellents for deer and rabbits have proven most effective.
I( author of this article Doreen G. Howard ) live in the country where deer, fox, coyotes, raccoons, squirrels and rabbits thrive. Even in winter, deer will scar fruit tree trunks, scratching their itchy antlers against them, and wild turkeys rut the soil seeking insects.
Last year during the drought, things nearly went nuclear.  Some gangsters took to gnawing holes in the garden hoses, seeking water.  After replacing two hoses, my husband strung one of them in the crabapple tree near the vegetable garden to get if off the ground.  Didn’t work. Holes started appearing in the hose up in the tree.  Husband taped the hose to seal it, and I sprayed it with a critter repellent.  That worked.  But, I never could figure out who was doing the damage. That’s until Joan Casanova of Green Earth Media Group sent me her critter detective guide.
How to Identify Animals Eating Your Plants
Here are Joan’s clues on how to determine and deter which unwanted animal is the assailant in your garden.  She said, “How are you supposed to fight ‘crime’ in your decimated garden if you can’t identify the suspect who’s been devouring your daylilies?”
Deer - Ragged bites, typically a foot or more above the ground indicate deer damage. Deer are notorious for devouring flowers and ornamental plants.  Tall, electrified fences work, but they are expensive and make a garden look like a prison yard.
Rabbits - If plant damage is low to the ground, a few inches above the soil, and includes stems clipped cleanly at an angle, the culprits are rabbits. These foragers will eat just about any kind of vegetation, including vegetables, flowers, bushes and other woody plants. If you don’t want bunnies nesting and raising families near your garden, remove debris that could provide them with shelter.  Also, wire mesh fencing around vegetable gardens deters them, too.
Rabbit fencing around my veggie garden keeps the damage away, but I can’t fence flower beds.
Voles - When flower bulbs disappear from the ground or plant roots go missing, chances are you have voles - mouse-like creatures that burrow underground. Exit holes are further indications that voles are tunneling under your garden. Teeth marks around the base of trees, droppings or trails in the grass can also indicate the presence of voles.
Groundhogs - Mounds of dirt beside burrow entrances are a sure sign of groundhogs, a garden villain that eats just about every type of green plant. They live in burrows underground.
Chipmunks - Damage to flower bulbs, plant shoots and leaves, uprooted plants and dug-up roots are all signs you have chipmunks. Their underground burrows may be a challenge to spot since the entrances are usually only about 2 inches in diameter and not surrounded by noticeable dirt mounds. You can foil their activity by removing yard debris where chipmunks hide.
Squirrels - While you might think of them as mostly the enemy of anyone with a bird feeder, squirrels also damage gardens. They live in colonies, digging underground tunnels and mounds in grassy areas and around trees that can lay waste to gardens and landscapes.
I will try to find ways to get rid of these pests after you have decided what you have eating your plants.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/be-critter-detective
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected]  641-794-3337   cell 641-903-9365