The battle for the vegetables at Bean Blossom Creek

The battle started quietly. Late May, I was preparing to leave on a business trip.   I would be gone all week. There was no need to purchase my usual lunch supplies.  I mentioned to Julie that the lettuce in the garden looked great and that we would have salad greens the week I returned.  Our normal brown bag lunches included salads. 

On return from the trip, I wandered through the garden. Finally, germination was happening. The plants like tomatoes and peppers planted from starts were perking up and looking good.  The lettuce was gone. Mowed down to the ground!

 Then we saw the mowers and evidence of their presence.  Rabbits, woodchucks and deer.

The first battle engagements were lost to the woodchucks. My lack of shooting skills are to blame. I actually shot one woodchuck that limped off the battle field.  One of the cute little suckers stared at me from the tunnel dug under the barn wall.

The second battle involved sophisticated weaponry in the form of 330 Conibear traps.  Four of them strategically located in the paths dug under the barn walls.

Gardener 7    Woodchucks ?