Living rural as we do and having our house surrounded by pastures and fields we tend to have revolving lawn ornaments. The nice thing is I don't have to change them the bad news is I do have to use a shovel to clean up after them.
There is a herd of about fifteen deer who cycle through our property every month or so. They like the hay field in front of the house and the desserts I grow in my flower beds. (Note to other would be gardeners-- if a plant is deer resistant it doesn't mean they won't eat it, It means it will grow back after they nibble on it) It's not uncommon to have half a dozen eating and lounging in the yard when they tiptoe through the neighborhood and my tulips(which by the way are candy to deer). Yes, I've learned the hard way what the deer consider a delicacy. I had a lilac bush next to my rhododendron and they would devour the lilac and nibble on the rhodie. Once I pulled out the lilac they've left the rhododendron alone. And they don't touch daffodils. So I can have a small glimmer of color early in the spring. Deer love hyacinth, tulips and every other bulb flower but the daffodil.
In the fall we graze the cattle on the hay field after the last cutting. At that time and during the winter when they are fed up near the house, I have calves clamoring through the fence and eating the dried plants I didn't get cut. They actually do a good job of pruning the dead plants. But then I have a new type of lawn ornament, one that will walk up the porch steps and look in the windows. Yes, calves are curious creatures and if not feeling threatened will snoop. I don't mind them snooping as long as they leave the cow pies in the yard and not on my porch!
Another ornament that I have now and then is a rock chuck or yellow-bellied marmot. Five rock chucks can eat as much grass as a cow and when they are prolific they can play havoc with hay fields. I don't like them in my yard or our fields.
I don't mind the critters visiting but they try my patience when they knock over my gnomes!
Do you have revolving lawn ornaments?
4 comments:
LOL after reading your post I decided that one puppy, who digs in the garden now and then, isn't too bad!
Fun post! We have plenty of deer, to the point we had to put fences around the fruit trees and garden. The neighbor dogs are also common lawn ornaments, but they have an open invitation to visit at whim. Our next most common visitors are the wild turkeys. Those poor things are so homely. :)
Shelley, They are fun to watch but a pain when it comes to keeping plants alive.
Lauri, My dad has wild turkeys at his place as well as bears and skunks and deer. I'm glad I just have deer and calves.
We have many deer, too. They nibble at my garden and flowers now and then, but they have nearly killed my young apple trees. We have raccoons, but they don't bother anything. Not even the cats.
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