Saving Bad Tomatoes for Chickens? Not So Fast
I often save some of my produce for the local wildlife. I imagine they will eat from my garden one way or the other, so I might as well give …
GreenPrints Animals in the Garden
A few animals in the garden might not be great for your plants, but they will give you some fun stories!
It’s nearly impossible to grow flowers or vegetables without ending up with a few animals in the garden. That can be super helpful at times, like when the birds snack on the slugs eating through your salad greens.
But some animals in the garden can be, shall we say, not so great. That’s what Bob McCray learned when his new puppy discovered the “flattened irises, mangled peonies, and crushed marigolds.” Let’s be honest, puppies might be the cutest thing ever, but you still don’t want them barreling through your flowers.
While Bob’s puppy was as cute as can be as it lay sleeping in the midst of the daisies, writer Emily Edwards had a very different adventure with animals in the garden. In her case, the animals weren’t cute at all.
Emily found that a horde of Japanese Beetles was greedily feasting on the “newly opened leaves” of her grapes when she decided she had the perfect solution to get rid of them.
Unfortunately, the solution didn’t work quite as well as Emily would have hoped. But thanks to her experience, neither you nor I need to suffer through the same mistake. Take a look at How (Not) to Get Rid of Beetles in the Garden. You’ll learn a thing or two about ridding your garden of beetles, and you’ll get a good laugh through Emily’s animated storytelling.
What about rabbits? They’re awfully cute, but also destructive. (You didn’t really want those strawberries, did you?) Usually, rabbits run away when you head to the garden, but writer Beth Surdut found out that sometimes, rabbits can be “very” friendly. When she goes to a neighbor’s garden to dig up unwanted plants to sell at her garden club’s fundraiser, hilarity ensues. Read Gardening Critters Gone Wild to find out just how friendly this rabbit was.
Get more stories about animals in the garden below
Feel free to stay a while and enjoy all the stories about animals in the garden we have to share below. And be sure to check out our Animals in the Garden Sampler while you’re here, which features a hand-picked selection of our favorite stories from this category.
Taming the Blackberries: When Backyard Pest Control Turns Cute
When I think of backyard pest control, I usually think of it as a way to get rid of unwanted critters. On a small scale, that might be Squash Bugs …
The Uninvited Garden Guests
To quote a beloved author, "It was the wettest of springs, it was the coldest of springs." This observation perfectly encapsulates my gardening journey this year. Delaying my planting until …
That’s No Ordinary Garden Caterpillar
There are some interesting relationships in nature. For example, plants nourish birds by giving them seeds to eat. In return, birds spread those seeds, ensuring the plants flourish. Some relationships …
No Loons in the Loon Nest
If you build it, they will come. This oft-quoted line from the movie Field of Dreams* references the idea that if you put in the work and build something (figuratively or …
Caterpillars in the Garden: Friend or Foe?
As a child, I could be found in the grass, garden, and woods almost every day. It was my haven, and I would spend hours exploring its lush greens and …
Fending off Snails in the Garden
As a gardener, I am no stranger to snails in the garden, or other pests that wreak havoc on my beautiful plants. When the snails started appearing in my garden …
A Tortoise in the Garden
If you want to see some hilarious animal antics, take a walk through my garden. You'll see squirrels chasing each other up and down the sunflowers, rabbits hopping around in …
They Weren’t Always Picking Crabapples On This Land
Today's story about picking crabapples gave me a little chuckle, though you might not laugh at the punch line if you're vegetarian.
"Crabby About Apples," comes from Alma Barkman, who has …
Doing Battle with Animals in the Garden
Canada Geese seem almost idyllic, gliding across the sky in their V-formation, honking out, I don't know, directions maybe? Normally, I love the idea of animals in the garden, or …
