SO very frustrated!

He ate a few bulbs entirely but mostly the little rodent (chipmunk or squirrel, not sure) has been just eating the tops off. I thought it was the groundhog but I've trapped and removed two of them and think the entrances to the yard are sealed....so the recent culprit has to be one of the small guys. I planted my last two (hard looked for!) Casa Blanca last night at dusk and go out this morning to think about fencing them or something only to find they had ALREADY been munched! Argh! So very upset! Thats now all but one of my Casa Blanca that are gone...hes also hit a number of my others too.

Will they come back?
The bulb is still intact for these two, its just the nice growth on the top that is bitten off....

My bulbs planted lat year seem untouched...its just my newly planted ones he seems to go after. (maddening!)

I may break out the "scoot" for the last one or two left in the garden....ugh!

The two with only the tops eaten will come back next year. Don't expect any new stems this year. I have the same problem with chipmunks. For some reason they seem to go after the newly planted bulbs and once they start, they just won't quite! I have to protect my newly planted bulbs with a fence made of hardware cloth until they get over their frenzy. Caught two yesterday and then saw a new arrival come up the driveway tonight. Dirty little stinkers!

OK, as long as they do come back next year I'll be ok...

Ya, I ran out of hardware cloth that small! I got lots of chicken wire size because of the groundhog...meh! I'll have to remember this in the future. Cute little guys, but darn them stinkers!! (I am also constantly finding peanuts in the garden because the neighbor hand feeds them...)

'Cute' animals have no conscience or regard. Just instincts. Fortunately for them, most of us complicate our own survival with some sense of sacrifice - something they will never reciprocate!

"Nono dear, don't eat that last lily bulb, we have to leave the poor cute little human something, they have a right to enjoy life too."

Now there's a fantasy!

A couple years ago I saw a chipmunk climb straight up a lily stock and stuff a whole lily bud in its mouth and disappear. Arg!!!!

I thought it was a fluke. In 2 years chippies or field mice using their tunnels ate all my lily bulbs from underground!! There was no digging from the surface, just a couple chipmunk holes. I had a few dozen bulbs.