Squirrels and radicchio
Adaptable local wildlife seem to be quite happy eating 'local' and enjoying the delicacies that I provide for them.
Our woodchuck (quite at home in the brush pile way back towards the woods) is feasting on tromboncino squash leaves, much to my annoyance, but at least s/he doesn't like tomatoes, eggplant, or yard-long beans. Fortunately, there's so much other summer squash this year, thanks to the relative absence of squash vine borers, I can't really complain. (Uh, I do keep setting my Havahart trap, but this woodchuck is much too canny to think that's inviting, even with Chuckster bait).
To my amazement this evening, though, I saw a squirrel (again) scampering off down the side fence with a huge radicchio leaf in (presumably her) mouth. She stopped, and started nibbling, but when I came closer, ran off with her prize.
I didn't have my camera, but there was definite evidence last year, and the year before that, I saw this (nursing) female squirrel enjoying a radicchio leaf in about the same spot. Quite remarkable.
Our woodchuck (quite at home in the brush pile way back towards the woods) is feasting on tromboncino squash leaves, much to my annoyance, but at least s/he doesn't like tomatoes, eggplant, or yard-long beans. Fortunately, there's so much other summer squash this year, thanks to the relative absence of squash vine borers, I can't really complain. (Uh, I do keep setting my Havahart trap, but this woodchuck is much too canny to think that's inviting, even with Chuckster bait).
To my amazement this evening, though, I saw a squirrel (again) scampering off down the side fence with a huge radicchio leaf in (presumably her) mouth. She stopped, and started nibbling, but when I came closer, ran off with her prize.I didn't have my camera, but there was definite evidence last year, and the year before that, I saw this (nursing) female squirrel enjoying a radicchio leaf in about the same spot. Quite remarkable.
