I keep seeing a little renegade baby rabbit hopping around my gardens. What is strange is he is only eating everything that is purple.

So far he has eaten.................
All my Japanese Ferns
Purple Sedums
I have a pretty purple leaf Geranium. It finally was looking beautiful this year I went out to take a pic and most of the leaves are gone.

Welcome to the club. Where there's a bunny, there's a Mommy somewhere nearby. My DH just laughs at me when he tells me about the ones he sees running around the yard. He loves seeing my reaction when I'm and about them. I had phlox in 3 gal. pots that I'd been unable to plant. When I looked at them to plant this past fall, I only saw stems. I couldn't believe it. Oh year, the Mommy is so fat, so can barely hop away. My FIL was a good hunter, but he is deceased. Anyone for rabbit stew? Free rabbits here. All you have to do is sit on my patio about 5 or 6 pm and they will emerge from the bushes around the house and head for my flower border.

I'm planting more fragrant plants with hairy leaves to try to deter them. Some years, they choose other yards, but last year, they chose mine. And DH is to blame as he's got wood piles from oak trees lost in previous ice storms that he's failed to remove. Convenient homes for those rascals. I was sick last summer, but I'm on the warpath this year. Oops, I'm off my soapbox. I'll try to get some photos of blooming perennials that haven't been mowed down by the rabbits or deer.

Cinta be vewwy vewwy quiet.

Kabby said:Cinta be vewwy vewwy quiet.

Yes I am going to kill me a wabbit.

Unless you're a sharp shooter, it won't be easy. They are extremely quick and difficult to catch even in a trap. One day DH and I were looking out the front floor length bow window in the living room, and noticed a rabbit chowing down on my hostas in the front border. DH decides to go out the back door, to see if he could sneak up on the rabbit. I was still looking out the window. He did not even stand a chance. When he closed the back door to step into the garage, the rabbit had already cocked its ears, sat up and started looking in DH's direction. So, when DH quietly tiptoed (he thought) and rounded the corner of the house, that jack rabbit darted across the front lawn in the opposite direction at lightning speed as soon as he spotted him. I was rofl: so hard that I had tears in my eyes. You should have seen the shock on DH's face. It was priceless.

A 410 will get them every time... just sayin!

@ Debbie

Rose1656 said:A 410 will get them every time... just sayin!

Yes and I could even paint the bullet purple since he likes purple so much.

You guys crack me up. A rabbit picky about the colors he eats, never mind the type of plants. That's a riot. My rabbits have an affinity to phlox--any color phlox. I can't even get them established. They keep mowing them down. No, stripping the stalks of leaves and the plant can't sustain itself, therefore the clump keep getting smaller and smaller until I get a no show where it used to be.

Dynamite works.maybe a trap. Poison lol

My dog eats the babies, no rabbit dares come near my garden.

I have herds of stupid rabbits! I've had a phlox David for about 5 or 6 years and I've only seen it bloom once in that time. The rabbits constantly gnaw it down to the ground. They eat anything. I've tried every repellent I can find, including those that claim to be systemic. Nothing really works.

Karen

So discouraging.

I had a lab that brought 2 baby bunnies into the house! She was so proud of herself... of course they were dead!

I'm too allergic to cats and dogs. Otherwise, I'd sure get one. We have some lazy cats roaming the neighborhood, but what good do they do? One jumps up on my bird bath to drink from it. Why can't he work for the drink? How about hunting some rabbits and voles leave the birds alone?

Cross posted. I'm sorry Rose, but if that was my Lab, he would get a treat for a job well done. No, I'm sorry again. Who a I kidding? I just feel that way at the moment because of the damage they cause in the garden. I too would be heart broken to see that.

What if you got some of those yard decorations that look like another animal that would prey on rabbits? Maybe then the rabbits would think it's a real animal

Go down to your local boat dealer and buy one of these Owls that you hang from the mast. Hang it over head high in the center of you garden and that might just keep fuzzy-wuzzy away.

Good luck,
Thomas

Deebie,

No need to feel bad about my killer Lab! She was just doing what comes naturally, and we all know that those little bunnies will grow up to be plant munching rabbits! I just didn't like picking them up off of the carpet!

Good for her! Although, I'm not fond of cleaning up remnants of varmints, ...

Karen

Either the mother rabbit or her offspring munched on this poor phlox but didn't touch the others. I put it there last year to get an ID on it. Looks like it will be another year of waiting.