Oh, Deer!

Cute, adorable, pretty, fascinating and all that good stuff when they're not eating my pumpkins, potato tops or pansies . . . .

The huge deer population in our Selle neighborhoods is definitely a double-edged sword. No matter how many times a day we see them, these creatures bring on sense of wonderment with their beauty and elegance.

It's usually when we don't see them that our appreciation for their presence diminishes because with their presence, our gardens and flowers diminish AND that is not a good thing.  

Chopped off potato plants, pansies with no heads and, yes, missing baby pumpkins tend to bring out the wrath during early morning watering. Plus, there's work to do if we think we're gonna salvage what's left.

My manure pile garden now has three kinds of fencing:  woven wire with metal posts, two metal gates and a newly installed section of decorative garden fence around what's left of the pumpkin plant. 

I keep thinking I'm gonna walk out there some morning and find a bambi stuck in the duke's mixture of fencing, but those creatures are pretty smart and careful about where they plant those hooves. 

When blueberry picking finally ended, I removed the netting around each plant which had to be installed when nearly half the berries---ripe and green--disappeared in one night. It was nice to remove it because every time I picked berries, the netting got caught in the bottom of my tennis shoes. 

One apple tree in the north lawn is still covered with netting, but that hasn't kept the deer away.  I found a fresh pile of pellets beneath the tree this morning. Fortunately, apples survived whatever attempts were made during the night to remove them. 

All this said, I still find daily delight in spotting and watching deer.  For all their sneaky, stealing ways, they're still beautiful creatures, both young and old. 

I didn't mind one bit taking photos of the orchard thievery occurring next door at the Meserve Preserve last night----and that was occurring with a little help from this doe's turkey friends. 

The way I see it, the longer they're over there eating, the less time they spend in my yard. 

And, the little fawn on Center Valley Road----it was enjoying some pasture with its mom and not too concerned about the lady with the camera lens sticking out a car window. 

Deer are definitely fun and frustrating, and I'm learning every day how to deal with the latter so I can really enjoy the fun. 

Happy Wednesday.