Sons of the Fourth of July Strike!

Who ate the cabbage?

I'll show you what, but please be warned the following images may not be pleasant to some. So proceed as you will. This will hopefully be informative for fellow gardeners everywhere who deal with similar pest problems.

It was a groundhog!

Young groundhog caught red pawed IN the garden.

As previously posted today I was peacefully collecting oregano for drying. I was almost done drying all the oregano I collected this morning and remembered that I have some spicier tasting oregano in the Mega Garden. So I flip-flopped out with scissors and tray and as I approached the garden... I caught a quick glimpse of movement... of all places- by the red cabbage. MY RED CABBAGE!

Well, wild freaking out garden girl vengence instincts insued.

Once they gain knowledge of the garden- you CAN'T let them live. You CAN't let them get away. This was a lesson I've learned before and paid dearly for it, though not as dearly as the rodents did. I had to do what I did and any gardener who has gone through this should understand. Yes I feel bad about it.

Very long chisel teeth. They WILL bite.

Forepaw- perfectly adapted for a burrower.

Its head could NOT squeeze through 1.5" opening.

Its head EASILY could fit through a 2" opening.

To all my fellow gardeners out there: I hope this was helpful. A young groundhog CAN fit through a very small opening... smaller than I had anticipated!

Somewhere I read that a nickname for the young groundhogs is 'the sons of the fourth of july', because right around Independence day is the time of the year when they are all pretty much kicked out of the burrows to fend for themselves. Ignorant juveniles wandering about learning their boundaries no doubt. If they learn about your garden the only solution at that point is elimination unfortunately. They are covered in fur, but they are NOT cute, and they are NOT friendly. Last year I was nearly attacked by an adult. They can be VERY mean. Take extreme caution around any wild animal and keep in mind that groundhogs CAN carry rabies (though they are not a common wild reservoir).

I walked the inside and outside perimeter of the garden and found NO obvious entry points for this guy to get in. How did it get in??? It bolted to the back south end of the garden as soon as I was within 50 feet. We walked that garden through and through yesterday and we would have noticed it if it was trapped inside if it ran for it that easily. My next hypothesis is that it may have scaled the chicken wire fencing and climbed through the 2"x4" welded wire fencing. Or, my worst fear, is that it has a burrow beneath the garden and has an entry hole somewhere away from the perimeter - something I may overlook... I do have some big weeds out there. How oh how did it get in? I was in the garden this morning even with nothing new to note. Within a matter of hours it got in somehow.

If anyone out there has any insights as to how this rodent got in please let me know! If I figure it out, you'll be sure I'll write about it. But for now- I'm stumped!