Unexpected bonus
By Fleur
@Fleura (31066)
United Kingdom
February 25, 2025 4:33am CST
Last year, as I was sitting at my desk, I witnessed some stranger’s cat leap up and grab one of our local woodpecker family off the bird feeder hanging in the tree outside!
I wasn’t able to do anything and I don’t know whether the woodpecker managed to get away.
I angrily bought a roll of wire netting and put it all around the tree such that any cat would not be able to leap at the birds feeding there.
This spring I noticed that the crocuses under the tree are looking particularly lush this year. On closer inspection I realised why – the ones protected within the wire netting have not been browsed by the Muntjac deer that regularly devour many of my flowers.
Outside the netting there are more crocuses dotted here and there, but also many bare stalks!
So that was an unexpected bonus. Maybe I should extend the netting enclosure – but our garden already looks too much like a scrapyard with bits of wire netting draped over and around particularly precious plants 
All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2025.
All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2025.12 people like this
9 responses
@JordanLader (5523)
• Sparta, Tennessee
25 Feb
I use wire to keep animals away from our plants...when I actually get to plant a garden. We have a lot of deer and other small animals plus the cats and dogs so it helps a lot.
2 people like this
@allknowing (141293)
• India
15h
That was a bonus indeed that you did not expect those flowers safe from the deer.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (141293)
• India
7h
@Fleura If William Wordsworth was there he would have written a poem "A Host of Golden Corocuses" 
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (162283)
• United States
14h
Lots to look at out of your window. I Like the crocus.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (142087)
• United States
25 Feb
You know venison is really good... 
I mix ground venison half and half with ground beef. They're eating your plants, so you can eat some deer once in a while. 
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (142087)
• United States
22h
@Fleura Is it illegal for you to shoot something in your garden? If it isn't, then venison could be on the table tonight.
Is it illegal for you to shoot something in your garden? If it isn't, then venison could be on the table tonight. 1 person likes this
@JudyEv (346973)
• Rockingham, Australia
14h
That's very cool indeed. What about just the one fence around the perimeter? Would that be an option? Those flowers are so pretty.
I saw a crow grab a little chicken once. I chased it but of course it wasn't going to drop it and it could fly faster than I could run.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (31066)
• United Kingdom
7h
Our garden is really quite big and has no fences at all except along one side (and that is full of holes - and would be very difficult to replace because of the huge trees alongside and all the smaller ones that have grown through it). The rest - well it's not impossible but it would need to be at least 6 feet high if we wanted to keep out the roe deer, and we would need two sets of gates, and the car parking area would be outside the fence because the way it's laid out it would be just impossible to enclose it and still be able to get a car in. So the end result would look more like Fort Knox with a public car park next to it. The whole thing is a bit of a pain and not the way we would have planned it but to change it all would be such a massive undertaking!
1 person likes this
@lilacskies (5791)
• United States
18h
That was an unexpected bonus indeed. Protect your precious plants.
1 person likes this
