Grazing Deer

For the past few weeks I've looked at my daylilies as their foliage browns off, thinking that I should cut them back for the winter.  Then, a couple mornings ago, I found that all my plants had all been trimmed back overnight by a helpful hungry deer.

White Tail Doe (Wikimedia photo)

He/she did not graze them all the way to the ground, so I think most plants will survive.  However, it's a reminder that a deer will eat anything when its preferred fodder is not available.  I'm told that daylilies are especially vulnerable in the spring, when the plants begin to put forth the season's foliage.

To avoid predation I plan to save the metal supports for my candidate yard signs and use these to support a chicken wire covering over the plants for the first few weeks of the growing season.  Once the plants have reached their usual summer size, they should be less attractive to the deer.  At least, one hopes! •••