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Letter Re: Some Garden Plot Surprises Revealed Beneath Receding Snow
Mr. Editor:
This spring is turning into a "yard and garden" wake up call.
This winter is the first one I can remember in 29 years of owning this property
where there was so much snow that the ground has been completely covered since
the beginning of December until now [(early April)]. I still have shady spots
with
18
to
24" today.
It is melting but it going to take a while. The piles by my driveway will be
there until June. But [as the snow has receded] the thing we are finding is
that
the
rabbits,
mice
and other rodents have trashed our yard and gardens like never before.
The rabbits--[the ones] that the dog did not catch--ate darn near anything
above the snow. They have made a mess of my raspberries, blueberries and grapes
to
the
point
where I don't know if the plants will survive or will have to be replaced.
Thank goodness I have 48" fencing around my cherry and apple trees. Oh,
and as far as the dog is concerned, we have a Bernese
Mountain Dog. The snow
was too deep for her to run and to catch many rabbits anyway.
The mice had an "under the snow tunnel system " made and they ate
all my wife's tulip bulbs, and all her other ornamental bulbs. They are my
chives, parsley, basil, sage etc.They have holes all over the yard. They even
ate
the phlox. We didn't see the damage until now, and the hawks didn't see the
mice, because they were under the snow.
My point here is that as our climate changes, we need to be expecting nature
to adjust and not always for human benefit. If the Schumer Hits the Fan (SHTF) perhaps
some of our best laid plans will be destroyed by the other living things on
the
planet
that need to eat in the winter. - Carl R.
