Re: [aroid-l] Woodchuck problem

From: "plantsman" <plantsman at prodigy.net> on 2004.07.26 at 03:42:23(11815) You describe my situation very much. I live right in the middle of a good sized subdivision fronting a very busy highway and there's plenty of wild land around us. We have deer, turkey, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, opossums, skunks, foxes and who knows what else that's regularly seen and/or encountered in our yards. Thirty-five years ago when I first moved here as a kid, the only wild animals around here were the occasional rabbit, opossum and skunk and that was before the subdivision grew and it was mostly empty fields and woodlands around us. Groundhogs are definitely opportunists. David Sizemore +More Kingsport, TN (Zone 6a) ----- Original Message ----- To: Sent: Sunday, July 25, 2004 1:20 PM Subject: Re: [aroid-l] Woodchuck problem > Like many successful animal species - Woodchuck numbers will expand to > fill available habitat, whether or not humans are in that space. Deer, > raccoons, woodchucks, squirrels, geese, etc. can thrive in the same > habitats as people, and have become de-sensitized to our presence from > necessity. > > With thousands of acres of relatively "wild" territory all around, > woodchucks choose to burrow under our garage because the slab makes a > nice roof for them, not because they've been driven out of the woodpiles > and creek banks that abound in the area. And they ravage the garden > because the cultivated plants are tender, tasty and available, not > necessarily because there's a great shortage of "wild" fodder. We create > pleasant circumstances for ourselves, and some of the more adaptable > mammals share our tastes! > > Please don't get me wrong - I am all for expanding our reserves of wild > land (and keeping them free of mining, timbering, etc.) That will make a > critical difference to many vulnerable species - I just don't think > woodchucks will "keep to their place" if we give it to them! > > Ann E. McCulloh > > Curator of Collections > Cleveland Botanical Garden > 11030 East Blvd. > Cleveland, Ohio 44106 > > 216 707-2829 phone > 216 721-1694 fax

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