Hello.
>> Friday, June 21, 2013 –
deer
I am a baby deer. I am learning. Specifically, I'm learning what I like to eat.
Regardless of what people think, I do not eat just anything. I have to learn what's good and what's not.
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| Is this beautiful flower something delicious? |
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| Eeeww. No! |
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| What's wrong sis? Let me get a good look because my vision is not too good... Oh, you do not want to eat one of these! |
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| Those are un-e-uns, and they are stinky! |
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| How about a little kiss to make you feel better? |
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| There. Everything okay now? |
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| Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks bro! Okay -- let's get out of here. Follow me! |
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| I'm still a little worried about the un-e-uns... maybe I should find a delicious daylily flower to take my mind off of it? |
There are a few problems with this "learning process". The first is that there could be half a dozen or more fawns coming through my yard each night, "tasting" plants. Even the ones they don't like can take a big hit.
The second is that I don't think they're fast learners. They probably need a few days of tasting on a plant before they remember it's something they don't like and should leave it alone. This can also leave you with a decimated plant.
The third won't apply for several months, but once a deer is really hungry it no longer really matters what tastes good.
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Awesome pics Alan!
Interestingly enough, adult deer are one of the most selective herbivores. Given an abundance of food to select from, the whitetail will come across as absolutely "picky." Fawns, and suburban deer in general, don't quite fall into that category. Your fawns look SUPER healthy though ... possibly thanks to your garden! They should be hammering your clover and any other legume in your yard ... have you noticed this?
Best, -jeremy
Beautiful photos! I love watching the fawns here, but also dread this time of year. It's amazing what they'll sample that the adult deer will avoid. I've learned, the hard way, not to transplant anything in the garden just before fawn season, as during their sampling and exploration phase, the fawns have a nasty habit of pulling up entire plants (albeit accidentally) when the plants aren't quite rooted in yet. I hope your garden comes through fawn season relatively unscathed!
Hi Alan. Super photos of the deer. I only just stumbled upon your blog a few days ago, (whilst searching for mole advice online) but keep coming back to read more! - Katie. Dorset, UK.