In a normal year this column in the middle of December would be talking about how to deal with wildlife in the yard that damage our valuable landscape plants from feeding damage. This year the ground is open and lawns are still green with no frost in the soil at all. While the weather remains favorable, rabbits will feed on the diversity of plant material in the home landscape, lessening damage to any one plant. Rabbits will feed on grass, clover and other lawn weeds as long as the ground is open. Rabbits will also continue to feed on plants well outside of our landscape, further limiting damage around the home.
It would be wise to do a "walk about" in your yard and scout for early feeding damage on both your favorite plants and the ones favored by wildlife. Rabbits, for example, turn to young twigs and branches of plants and tender bark on thin barked trees. Examples would be fruit trees, crabapples and burning bush for winter feeding. In the spring lots of emerging tender perennials make a great meal for the rabbits. There are several methods that can be utilized to prevent feeding damage to valuable landscape plants.
If you are already seeing feeding damage, it is bound to continue and get worse. For rabbits, feeding damage can be prevented using chicken wire or a more specific type of fencing designed to keep the younger rabbits from getting into your plantings. This fencing has the wire at a much smaller spacing near the bottom where a baby rabbit could get through. This is not so important in the winter, but is great for next spring when offspring are feeding.
As we continue to enjoy the milder weather, so are the field mice. Extension has gotten many calls starting late summer as would be expected about mice in the home. These calls have not tapered off as they usually do as the soil has not frozen allowing the mice to continue to roam and forage for food. Not until we get a lot colder will the mice entering the home lessen. Often mice will get in the home by way of the garage if it attached to the house. Other points of access would be any openings as small as 3/8ths of inch in size. Check for failed caulk around plumbing pipe or electrical conduit on the outside of the home. Weatherizing the home can be good for energy conservation and mouse control at the same time. Traps and baits can be effective in controlling the populations inside the home, yet as long as the weather remains moderate, others will take the place of any mice killed. If you find holes, pack them with steel wool. Eliminating easy food sources inside the home is a critical part of what needs to be done. Pet and bird food should be in metal containers with tightly sealing lids. Do not leave pet food in dishes overnight. Provide you pet with fresh food each day and clean the area after feeding. In the pantry and cupboards, vacuum up the crumbs. Do all you can to make your home uninviting and hope for some good cold weather.
About the author: Richard Hentschel’s expertise extends across several subject areas with specialties in lawn care, fruit tree production, woody ornamentals, and home and community gardening. During his 45-year career in horticulture and agriculture, Hentschel became a well-known and respected expert for commercial and homeowner audiences, industry organizations, and media. He retired from University of Illinois Extension in April 2022 with nearly 30 years of service as a Horticulture Specialist and Educator in northern Illinois.