Deerie Me

When I was out in the yard yesterday, it was clear that some of our trees had been damaged.

It wasn’t hard to figure out how.

In addition to all of my bald cypresses, I have a lot of little buckeye trees. I have three mature ones and every fall the squirrels bury the nuts. So in the wilder parts of my yard I keep getting little buckeyes coming up.

This is what one of them looks like.

Ragged Tip

That’s not the way they’re supposed to look. During the fall, buckeye trees put out their buds so that they are ready to go once spring arrives. This is what they’re supposed to look like.

Buckeye Bud

Or there was this

Nibbled End

instead of this.

Buckeye Buds

That last picture was taken from a fairly high up branch of one of the mature trees.

I’m pretty sure what did the damage. Here was one of our backyard visitors at the end of February.

Backyard Visitor

Another one of my saplings is a butternut tree. Now, butternuts are pretty rare these days, due to butternut canker. However, mine is sufficiently isolated that I hope it doesn’t get exposed.

But that’s irrelevant if the deer eat it.

Butternuts are related to walnuts, pecans, and, more distantly, to buckeyes. Thus, they also put out their buds the previous fall, which also makes them susceptible to becoming deer food.

However, so far, so good.

Butternut Bud

Well, there’s a reason for that.

The Cage Match

Yes, I put the sapling in a cage. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

While they are cute, I sure don’t want them killing, or even stressing, the butternut.

Will You Fawn Over Me?

[Picture taken in my yard last June.]