Bambi and friends

Last week I bought $20 worth of pansies at a local nursery and planted them out in the yard. The next morning -- yes, the very next morning -- they had been eaten to the ground! This evening I looked out the window and saw four deer in the front yard. In the first photo below, there are four, but it was hard to capture them as it was just about dusk. If you look closely, one is on the far left behind the dogwood tree; two are to the left of the big oak. and one is to the right of the oak.


In the photo below, you can see three of the four more closely. This is my front yard, just a few feet from the street, and the walk leads to my front door. But we don't have a lot of traffic on our street, and there are vacant, wooded lots next door and across the street.
Although the deer are interesting to watch, they do a lot of damage to our landscaping. I wonder if anyone has tried to estimate the economic loss caused by deer damage. They have eaten my hostas, daylilies, tulips, yews, sedums, and of course, pansies. They seem not to like herbs or iris. So I guess I'll concentrate more on things that are not as appealing to them next year.

On a happier note, it rained today. We've been under mandatory water restrictions, so I hope today's rain will replenish our water levels enough that the restrictions will be lifted.


Joanie 10/25/08