Archives: Animals

If you see a plant wiggle, then disappear below ground, or if you notice a fan-shaped mound of soil blocked with a plug of earth, you know a gopher or pocket gopher is at work. Primarily found west of the Mississippi, these little rodents can ravage gardens. The animals are brown-furred and 6 to 12 … Read more

Pets can be a real nuisance in the garden. Cats like to dig in soft soil; undisciplined dogs romping through plants are even more destructive.

Deer are graceful animals that can wreck a garden in no time by nipping off blossoms and nibbling tender leaves and shoots. Fond of many flowering plants, deer also enjoy the foliage and fruit of just about anything you grow for your table. The types of plants most at risk will vary, depending on what … Read more

Despite their size, chipmunks can cause significant damage to homes, yards, and farms. Chipmunks cause damage by digging seeds from the garden, feeding on flower bulbs and burrowing into lawns.

Domesticated animal related to lions and tigers and is often kept by people as a pet. Cats have carnivorous eating habits, fur, fine facial features, and retractile claws.

Only a few types of birds, notably crows, black birds, house sparrows and starlings, make pests of themselves in the lawn and garden. If you notice birds pecking at crops, take preventative measures before your feathered friends decide to designate the area as a permanent feeding station. Birds can target seeds, tender young plants, corn, … Read more

Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and homes, but because their harvesting of trees and flooding waterways, that may interfere with other land uses, business and residential properties or flood roadways.

In the United States, the sole resident armadillo is the Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), which is most common in the central southernmost states, particularly Texas. Their range is as far east as South Carolina and Florida and as far north as Nebraska; they have been consistently expanding their range over the last century due to … Read more