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As the line between urban and rural settings
continues to blur, human beings will undoubtedly encounter the wildlife
they are displacing. Some, especially rabbits and whitetail deer, have
adapted well to their human neighbors and may remain in close proximity. Fragmented forest areas, such as parks and forest
preserves, may have contributed to the explosion of the deer population.
Whitetails prefer to inhabit the edges of the forest, where enough light
penetrates to allow smaller herbaceous plants, trees, and shrubs to grow. “These areas by nature create an enormous
amount of this edge habitat, and deer populations rise up to fill
it,” says Jennifer Schultz Nelson, a horticulture educator with the
University of Illinois Extension. “Housing developments are often
adjacent to forested areas, making it all too easy for deer to wander over
to a landscaped yard and discover the delicious plants there.”
The common or Eastern cottontail rabbit has also
adapted well to human development. These herbivores will quickly populate
any environment that can offer food and shelter. “The average back yard usually provides
both,” Nelson says. “A pair of rabbits taking up residence
there will potentially produce up to four litters of young per year, with
as many as six young per litter.”
But how do you tell which critter has been munching
on your garden? “Take a good look at the damage on a given
plant,” Nelson says. “Rabbit damage looks like someone went
crazy with pruners, each branch or shoot cut cleanly at 45 degree angles.
Rabbits accomplish this feat with their powerful incisors. “Deer, on the other hand, lack upper front
incisors and so grab and pull at vegetation they want to eat. The ends of
the remaining branches and shoots are jagged, and, if they are small
enough, plants may be totally pulled out of the ground. Deer also only eat
what they can reach, which is only about 8 feet high. They also damage
young trees over the winter by rubbing their antlers on the
bark.”
Other helpful clues are tracks: Deer have cloven
hooves and rabbits have distinctive paired tracks for the front and hind
feet. Rabbits will often construct grass-lined areas called
“forms” to offer some protection on the ground. “Deer and rabbit damage is most noticeable in
the spring and early summer before much plant growth begins,” Nelson
notes. “Usually deer and rabbit damage to landscape plants is worse
in years with colder winters and more snow cover as other nearby food
sources run out.”
In managing deer and rabbit damage, gardeners need to
do their homework, Nelson says.
“There are plants that both deer and rabbits
love, and there are plants that they will only eat if it is the last green
plant available,” she says. “Generally speaking, both deer and
rabbits will avoid any plant that has a lot of sap or a lot of scent. There
are many plant lists available in books and online listing plants resistant
to feeding by deer or rabbits or both. “Of course, there are exceptions. Sometimes
even a plant touted as something deer will never eat will sometimes get
eaten in the right circumstances. Nature is seldom absolute.”
Using scent or taste repellants for deer and rabbits
is usually a viable option for homeowners. These may need to be reapplied
after rain or extended periods of time. It is also a good idea to rotate
among several different repellants to minimize the chance that the animals
will get used to a particular scent. In many cases, excluding deer and rabbits with
fencing is a good option. Electric fencing to deter deer is recommended
only in extreme cases and is not an option for most people in suburban
areas. “Though deer can jump 12 feet high, 8-foot-high
fences are generally enough to keep them out,” Nelson says. “If
the area being fenced off is less than about 15 feet wide, 6-foot-high
fences are adequate. This is because deer have poor depth perception and
are hesitant to jump into places that they perceive might be too narrow. “Another way to take advantage of this is to
place two shorter fences a few feet apart. Unable to judge the distance
over both fences, often deer will avoid the area. Rabbit fencing only needs to be about 2 foot high and
have a few inches buried under the soil to prevent rabbits from digging
under the fence. The openings in the fence materials should not be big
enough for the rabbits to fit through. “In many cases, it can be difficult, if not
impossible, to prevent all damage from deer and rabbits,” Nelson
says. “Some damage is inevitable in many locations. In these cases,
it may be helpful for homeowners to work on tolerating at least some damage
to their landscape.”
For more information about the University of Illinois
Extension’s Sangamon-Menard unit, go to
www.extension.uiuc.edu/Sangamon.
This article appears in Jun 7-13, 2007.
