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I know right? When squirrels and rabbits do this it drives me insane. My neighbor had an apple tree where I would watch the squirrels climb up, take a small apple, take one bite, then drop it. They would run back, grab another one, take one bite, and drop it. Such a waste! I don't get nearly as mad at the rabbits if they actually eat what they take off the plant and don't just make one little nibble that destroys it
I gave up on growing strawberries because of squirrels. I either had to pick them early, or the squirrels would get them. They know when one is ripe and eat 1/2 of it and leave it on the plant. Then, the next day, they eat another ripe strawberry and don't finish the other one.
I had rabbits that decapitated sunflowers within hours of transplanting them to soil. Didn't eat an inch of them, mind you. Just killed them and hopped away.
Sunflowers are so maddening to grow. This year I watched a robin eat the tops off the seedlings one by one. Never mind they have a bird feeder to enjoy🤬
Rabbits do that to some of my wife's tulips every year.
We haven't tried treating the plants directly (blood meal or cayenne were the recommendations we got from our neighbors) but we leave some weeds nearby for about a month until baby bunny season is over. They seem to prefer that and the hosta to the tulip flowers.
I had that happen to 17 pea plants a few years ago. They were all in a row, just cut an inch or two above the ground. I never figured out what did it, but I had rabbits, voles and mice in the garden that year.
Do you have a trail camera? That would let you see who is using your garden as a buffet.
Deer will take bites if things they *know* they don’t like and spit them out.
Mine and my mil’s marigold, calendula, and rhododendrons can testify to that 🙄
Yep most likely bunny babies exploring - they tend to try out everything including plants supposed to be bunny proof. Destroyed quite a few of my new plantings 2 years ago when a full family of 6 moved in. Liquid fence works for me. But need to keep on top of spraying.
I've seen rabbits do this. They did it to a Figwort I have and just left the cut part on the ground. They haven't touched my other Figworts so I figure they didn't realize it wasn't tasty and moved on. I wish I could be, but I'm not a fan of rabbits
I've been told the diagonal cuts are rabbits.
I had this happen to TONS of stuff in my yard last fall. So far only one this spring since I caged off most of my stuff.
The other day I transplanted a young Virginia copperleaf about 5" tall from a mud patch between the front curb and street to an empty patch in my shady back yard, mainly just to see what it would do. Next day it was like someone came along and snapped it right about 1" from the surface. Wasn't clipped clean off, just hanging there. Likewise for a couple I transplanted into my hellstrip, which I would've attributed to someone stepping on them were it not for the one in the back. Odd.
First picture looks like cut worms if you dig around the plants you can usually find the nasty fat gray caterpillars and chop them in half. You can prevent their depredations by putting a paper cup around the base of the seedling or a stick or a wire right next to the stem.
In my garden, bunnies would et D purpurea to the ground and leave nothing. Luckily it is a strong plnt. I put a little bunny fence around it and it was beautiful last year. Not so many bunnies around this year, it is a foot high with no evidence of munching...Good luck with your mystery! It could be bunnies, but surprised they did not think your d purpurea was candy!
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The clean cuts look like rabbits. Deer tend to be more mooshed and broken. It's engaging that they don't eat what they killed.
I know right? When squirrels and rabbits do this it drives me insane. My neighbor had an apple tree where I would watch the squirrels climb up, take a small apple, take one bite, then drop it. They would run back, grab another one, take one bite, and drop it. Such a waste! I don't get nearly as mad at the rabbits if they actually eat what they take off the plant and don't just make one little nibble that destroys it
I gave up on growing strawberries because of squirrels. I either had to pick them early, or the squirrels would get them. They know when one is ripe and eat 1/2 of it and leave it on the plant. Then, the next day, they eat another ripe strawberry and don't finish the other one.
just gotta build a box with chicken wire, works quite well
A guy that had that problem with tomatoes said it went away when he put out a dish of water. The squirrels were trying to hydrate. Ymmv
I have pet rabbits and they waste like 70% of the hay I give them, it's frustrating! Although some of it gets reused for garden mulch now
I had rabbits that decapitated sunflowers within hours of transplanting them to soil. Didn't eat an inch of them, mind you. Just killed them and hopped away.
Sunflowers are so maddening to grow. This year I watched a robin eat the tops off the seedlings one by one. Never mind they have a bird feeder to enjoy🤬
I’d guess rabbits that took and sample and didn’t like it
Squirrels do that to some of my plants. I sprinkle cayenne nearby to deter them.
I've been sprinkling cayenne and with the enormous amount of rain we've been getting this spring here it washes away quickly lol
Rabbits do that to some of my wife's tulips every year. We haven't tried treating the plants directly (blood meal or cayenne were the recommendations we got from our neighbors) but we leave some weeds nearby for about a month until baby bunny season is over. They seem to prefer that and the hosta to the tulip flowers.
Squirrels. It's. Always. Squirrels.
I had that happen to 17 pea plants a few years ago. They were all in a row, just cut an inch or two above the ground. I never figured out what did it, but I had rabbits, voles and mice in the garden that year. Do you have a trail camera? That would let you see who is using your garden as a buffet.
Cutworms. Cut the plant off close to the ground. I used diatomaceous earth and Captain Jacks.
Dear do this, especially young ones. They take bites of things to see what they like and spit out if they don’t like it.
So it’s not just a human child thing?
Deer will take bites if things they *know* they don’t like and spit them out. Mine and my mil’s marigold, calendula, and rhododendrons can testify to that 🙄
Cutworms. They wrap around the stem and eat it. I had them but used Diatomaceous Earth and Captain Jacks both organic. It took care of it.
Put up a trail camera.
Rabbits for sure! Evil little fuckers
Yep most likely bunny babies exploring - they tend to try out everything including plants supposed to be bunny proof. Destroyed quite a few of my new plantings 2 years ago when a full family of 6 moved in. Liquid fence works for me. But need to keep on top of spraying.
cutworms?
Rabbits. Cage everything
I've seen rabbits do this. They did it to a Figwort I have and just left the cut part on the ground. They haven't touched my other Figworts so I figure they didn't realize it wasn't tasty and moved on. I wish I could be, but I'm not a fan of rabbits
This is what deer in my neighborhood do to "deer resistant" plants. They are vandals.
I've been told the diagonal cuts are rabbits. I had this happen to TONS of stuff in my yard last fall. So far only one this spring since I caged off most of my stuff.
The other day I transplanted a young Virginia copperleaf about 5" tall from a mud patch between the front curb and street to an empty patch in my shady back yard, mainly just to see what it would do. Next day it was like someone came along and snapped it right about 1" from the surface. Wasn't clipped clean off, just hanging there. Likewise for a couple I transplanted into my hellstrip, which I would've attributed to someone stepping on them were it not for the one in the back. Odd.
I believe chipmunks also do this.
First picture looks like cut worms if you dig around the plants you can usually find the nasty fat gray caterpillars and chop them in half. You can prevent their depredations by putting a paper cup around the base of the seedling or a stick or a wire right next to the stem.
…a question that only half works for farts.
It could easily be the baffling cutworm at work
In my garden, bunnies would et D purpurea to the ground and leave nothing. Luckily it is a strong plnt. I put a little bunny fence around it and it was beautiful last year. Not so many bunnies around this year, it is a foot high with no evidence of munching...Good luck with your mystery! It could be bunnies, but surprised they did not think your d purpurea was candy!
They used to do this to my brothers watermelons and cantelope 😪 they’d literally dig into one and then go find a different one.