I can't get my hands on bird netting. I've got stakes in the ground around the bog that I drove in the ground myself. I am a small person and couldn't wait for my husband to help me this weekend so I am hoping a foot into the ground is enough as I can't get them down any deeper myself. I have enough chicken wire to go around my small bog with a tad left over to make it around 3 planters I just purchased. I am going back to Home Depot to get something to attach the chicken wire to the stakes. As of this morning, I have literally nothing left other than 3 S. flava but one is looking pretty rough, 2 S. minor (a gift from a friend), 2 S. leuco x ?, 3 S. purpurea (one is probably not going to make it), 1 Calopogan, 1 great blue lobelia, 5 blue flag iris (they leave those alone for some reason), a little bit of corkscrew rush, and some sort of carex... possibly a cotton sedge. That's the sum total of what is left. Depressing. Yesterday I had 5 s. minor, a few sundews, at least 10 venus flytraps as well as 3 sprigs of clubmoss, 3 more Calopogans, and Ladies Tresses. This is what they did when the sun came up today while I was at the school for an hour in the library and I can't even locate the plants to replant them. I've been feeling around in the sphagnum and I can't even feel root segments. I don't even want to discuss what they destroyed prior to the past few days.
Gray squirrels are a native to NA and my birds of prey will not survive without them being available. Yes, squirrel numbers are seriously out of whack this year but that is thanks to some self serving moron up the road from me who is shooting coyotes. The media has really been playing up a handfull of poodle and beagle deaths around here. There is nothing I can do about this other than to call the DNR which I have done. Poisoning any animal is barbaric in my opinion and additionally that ultimately poisons any animal that feeds upon the squirrel. I will not destroy the gray squirrels. There are people out there addressing the squirrels and white tailed deer as there are serious public health issues associated with same. Best this be handled by people qualified to do so although my husband has been itching to shoot a few most probably to shut me up. I am going to have to run with a chicken wire enclosure although my husband's offer is very tempting right about now. It is best. These plants are so darn shallow rooted!
I recently removed layers of leaf mulch. I am going to switch to pine needle mulch as soon as I can locate some. I understand the reasoning behind why the leaves were not the best choice. What I need to know right now is should I remove some of the sphagnum/sand mixture and replace it with fresh while it is exposed and before I add pine needles? I ask this question as I have been sprinking both red pepper and chili pepper in and around the plants with wild abandon. I have also used Deer Off and an assortment of every other retail squirrel deterrent known to mankind that was allegedly natural.
On a side note, this morning I found the cat that ate my favorite chipmunk in my HavAHart trap. That was also one of the cats that I saw taking poops in the middle of my bog. And this was also the cat that was spraying our wood pile and my kid's playhouse to mark his territory. I have waited months for this day. Animal Control has been called.
If people here would please give me a little bit of time to buy some more sphagnum and get the chicken wire up I will post photos of what I have going on over here and I will take a few plants that hopefully will make it to next spring to get transplanted at a school. There was another forum that I started at a few days before signing up at this forum and there were two men over there that I want to get back to as I am beginning to think I insulted them when I declined offers and now I feel horrible. Give me a few days ok? I am going to take some people up on offers but I have got to get that chicken wire up or I will not be able to live with myself. Sorry, it's my upbringing... I don't even go to a food buffet and take food I can't eat just because it's free and I certainly don't allow my children to do it either. I am so sorry. Just give me a few days alright?
You people are all very kind. If I hurt any one's feelings, I didn't mean it.
Bugweed, would you please post a photo of your frame? Thank you, Laura