The Perils of Wildlife in Suburbia

I enjoy gardening. I'm not a master gardener by any means; but I find it relaxing. I enjoy putting different colors and plant types together- a" horticultural palette , you might say. Also, I enjoy seeing my hard work pay off in the form of a growing plant. I enjoy watching them thrive. Being the best little plant that they can be! Below is a sample of two live oaks that I bought last year and had growing in pots. They were finally big enough to plant in the ground this year. Take a look- This is the first one I planted in our backyard: And below is the second. They are pretty close together in shape and size. Wait a minute. Is it just me,... or do you notice a difference in the appearance too?! Hmmmmm........

Nope. I'm pretty sure it USED to be a little taller. And greener. Also, just a tad bit leafier. It was fine an hour ago. I wonder what could have happened to it?! I was inside doing housework, but the Mastiff pups were outside. Perhaps they know what happened. "Ella, do YOU know what happened to the tree that was here?"

"What tree Momma? Ohhh. THAT tree"......."Momma, I'm pretty sure I saw BEAVERS chew down the tree!:


"Yeah, Mom. It was DEFINITELY beavers! I saw the whole thing," said Harlow.







"Wow!" I exclaimed. "How freaky is that?!... Did either of you see which way they went?"











Apparently,( as you can see) at this point, there was some confusion as to which way the little buggers went. But, they must be crafty to slip by these two! And resourceful. I'm also thinking they MUST be extremely fit; because, we live about 15 minutes from any lake, creek or stream.




But, look at this little face! Is this cute, sweet, precious little face (with just a hint of mud/dirt/...residual tree residue caked on it's nose) the type of face that would lie to me?!

I didn't think so either. If my girls say they saw beavers- I believe them!!! So we went out and purchased another tree. We got it planted in the ground. And THIS time if the beavers come back.....

I think we're ready for them!!!