Mid-Atlantic Gardening: Feeding feathered and furry friends, 1 by Gitagal

Gitagal wrote:
Jeff--

Last summer (2013) I had a very prolific mama rabbit. She had 5 clutches (??).

I could tell by all the different sized baby rabbits running around.
They ARE cure--BUT---they grow up and have more rabbits...

Because of rabbits--i have to encircle most of my beds in plastic, green fencing.
UGH! Hate the look! They will chew leaves off the stems on Oriental lilies--
as far up as they can reach. Then--they chew down the whole stem and leave it laying there.
They snip off all the new growth from all kinds of plants! Hate it!

This spring--there was just one ADULT rabbit around. I really never saw it.
She must have had one "clutch"--as there was one juvenile always hiding in my beds.
It grew bigger---but not quite adult size. NO others were seen.

I believe this Mama rabbit was nesting under the raised foundation (sitting on 6"x6" PT logs)
and I think that. also, there may have been a black snake living under there.
I never saw any babies running around! GOOD!
Perhaps next year there will NOT be any rabbits at all. I can dream!

Here is the sole survivor. He/she was very shy and always hiding in the backs
of my beds amid all the foliage. I don't think this rabbit are any of my plants.
it was always, happily, munching of clover in my lawn. Kind of...tame.