Solving Yard Problems Caused by Woodchucks, Rabbits and Chipmunks

by | Jul 14, 2014 | (Sub)Urban Homesteading, Chickens, Garden/Yard, Mammals, Nature, Pests

Chipmunk

The charming but pesky chipmunk is an amazing forager and storer of food.

Wildlife sometime create yard mischief. Raccoons, possums, and skunks tip over trash cans in the middle of the night. Chipmunks tunnel under walls, moles heap mounds of dirt. And woodchucks and cottontails raid the garden.

Damage, or perceived damage, often infuriates homeowners. Woodchucks have the uncanny ability to harvest lettuce the day before it is to be picked for an evening salad, and raccoons raid the sweet corn patch the moment ears are ripe. Moles hump up hills of dirt that lawnmowers hit, and skunks mine into the sod for grubs. What’s a homeowner to do?

WHY WILDLIFE CAUSE PROBLEMS

There’s no mystery to it. Wild animals are attracted to yards because they are comfortable places to live or find food. All living creatures need food, shelter and water to live. Yards frequently offer these basic needs all in proximity. Create a beautiful diverse yard and wildlife will enjoy it as much as people. In most cases people love seeing most species of wildlife in their yards, but often agree that they are best enjoyed in moderation.

THREE STEPS TO CONTROL GARDEN WILDLIFE DAMAGE

There are three ways to effectively overcome, or at least minimize, wildlife damage.
Homeowners differ in their strategy on how they weigh the benefits versus problems of wildlife in the yard.

Strategy One: Tolerate damage and enjoy wildlife.

It’s a state of mind that may require attitude adjustment. How important is a perfect lawn or head of cabbage, versus watching a cottontail mom peacefully nurse her babies on the edge of the law? How valuable is the beauty and inspiration gained from seeing chipmunks pack their cheeks with seeds and scamper across the yard versus the tunnels they make in retaining walls? For many people having beautiful and interesting wildlife out the window far outweighs damage they may cause.
We had a friend who grew a tiny garden with a few lettuce plants, a short row of string beans, and one hill of summer squash. When a cottontail devoured them she was incensed and declared war on bunnies. She bought traps but never managed to catch them. She built a fence but the lettuce thieves found their way under it. Her stress level rose as plants disappeared.

We suggested she might rely on simple arithmetic to solve her problem.

“Instead of spending about a hundred bucks on fencing and traps, wouldn’t it be simpler and cheaper to just buy lettuce, squash, and beans at the farmer’s market”, we asked her. She agreed. It took some mental adjustment, but now she buys locally grown vegetables and enjoys watching the cottontails that she once hated.

SOMETIMES IT’S BEST TO JUST IGNORE MINOR DAMAGE AND ENJOY WILDLIFE.

Strategy two. Preventing damage in the first place.

The saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” holds true for wildlife damage. In most cases homeowners can both enjoy wildlife and prevent or greatly reduce damage critters might do. Some simple ways to anticipate and reduce conflict include:

Fencing: Craft fences sturdy enough to keep rabbits and woodchucks out of the garden. Cottontails, for example can jump a long ways horizontally but not high vertically. An inexpensive 18 “ tall temporary fence of chicken wire will keep them out of the garden. Woodchucks are more challenging, as they are expert diggers and climbers. A garden fence needs to extend below the ground to keep them out and needs to be at least three or four feet tall. Watch for more fencing specifics in future editions of Winding Pathways website.

Securing: Store trash cans inside the garage with the door closed to keep raccoons from tipping it over. Better yet, compost food scraps and don’t put anything in the can that will interest wildlife. Composting turns waste into a wonderful resource that improves the soil. Don’t let the trash man cart it away. Some people who prefer not to add meat scraps to the compost bin, feed them to a small flock of chickens or simply put them on the edge of the yard in the evening for the raccoons to devour. No more tipping over the trash can.

PREVENTION IS A KEY

Strategy three: Killing the offending animal.

Often people resort first to killing an animal. However killing a few woodchucks, raccoons, moles, or chipmunks will not solve damage problems. These animals are in the yard because they find perfect conditions there to live. Remove a few and others will move in. Keep killing and you’ve created a wildlife death trap.

Sometimes it is necessary to kill an animal. Upcoming issues of Winding Pathways will feature tips on how to eliminate problem animals.

 

Nests Appear Like Magic

by | Dec 18, 2025 | (Sub)Urban Homesteading, Mammals

When autumn’s spectacularly colored leaves drift by our windows they signal the end of a season. That’s also the beginning of a new season – when nests appear like magic.

A few years ago we sat on the front deck as leaves tumbled off a nearby maple. “What’s that big shape up there?” Marion asked. We looked closer through binoculars spotting a bald faced hornet nest.

Hidden From View

During the growing season we didn’t know the colony of these big hornets were nearby, because  their growing paper pulp-like nest was deeply tucked among leaves. By the time we spotted it the nest had been abandoned. We watched as the weather gradually shredded it overwinter.

Winding Pathways is filled with wildlife, big and small, and many species nest close to the house, sometimes unseen during the warm months.

Birches and Bird Nests

On a warm late November day we pruned a river birch tree near the labyrinth, looked up, and spotted an abandoned robin’s nest built on a horizontal branch. Crafted of sticks, it was lined with dried mud and likely was a perfect home for a brood of  babies.

Crafty Crows & Cozy Squirrels

Dropping leaves also reveal bulky, loosely formed crow’s nests up high on trees. After brooding and fledging crows abandon the nests which, typically, quickly fall apart. Crows to generally return to the same area year after year.

The leafy nests of squirrels high in trees are called dreys. Although they prefer using tree cavities, when these are scarce they’ll make a drey.  Dreys are easy to spot after leaf fall. They’re usually at least 30 feet up and built in the fork of a branch. The ambitious animals  weave together sticks, leaves, and grass to make one and snuggle inside during cold windy winter nights.

While walking through our yard and area trails we often spot other wintery nests.  Here are a few of our favorites:

House Wren:  All summer we’re serenaded by singing wrens, and we love watching them bring delicious caterpillars into their nests to feed babies. They are cavity nesters and claim the wooden boxes we put out for them.  Each fall we open each wren house and remove the nest of woven sticks inside.

 

Baltimore Oriole: Orioles visit us in the spring but prefer nesting along nearby Indian Creek. Their nests often hang down from the branches of tall trees and are sometimes built way above trails, lawns or water.

Goldfinches: Goldfinches love tall grasslands, and build their nest in tall wildflower stems or dense shrubs surrounded by prairie plants. They nest in mid-to late summer andline their nest with soft plant down, like milkweed fluff.

Wild Turkeys: Unlike many birds turkeys don’t work hard to build their nest. They  just make a slight depression in the ground and line it with dry leaves.  A few years ago our neighbor was doing yard work when a female turkey rushed out from under a bush right next to the home’s foundation. He was startled!  Whether back in the forest or in suburbia female turkeys usually make their nest under a shrub and next to a log or foundation. Usually there will be a clearing nearby, and to a mother turkey a lawn is a good substitute for a natural grassy clearing.

Turkey vultures: While not exactly back yard birds, turkey vultures are denizens of summer thermals. We see them soaring in the country and over towns.  A basswood tree just east of our property has been the home of nesting turkey vultures since before we settled here in 2010. The Derecho of 2020 took out many trees and broke some off the basswood. But, mostly it survived partly because it is more holes than tree!

Foxes, coyotes, and woodchucks all have favored places to tuck in. Not nests but cozy homes. Deer bed down on warmer south slopes.  Various insects create nests. The photo gallery shows some examples.

Fall’s a great time to go on a nest hunt seeking a variety of structures built by birds, mammals and even insects. Sometimes they can be a challenge to identify, but a great source is nestwatch.org.  It will help discover what birds made nests tucked in trees, in tall grasses, on the ground, and even under house eaves.

 

How Do Ponds Attract Wildlife?

by | Oct 16, 2025 | Amphibians/Reptiles, Garden/Yard, Nature, Water Resources

Wildlife Parade

Of all the wildlife attractions we’ve created at Winding Pathways nothing beats our tiny pond’s wildlife parade. Hardly the size of two king beds, it proves that even a miniscule water feature is one of the best ways to lure fascinating animals into a yard. How and why do ponds attract wildlife?

Simple: Animals need water. For shelter and nurishment.

We actually didn’t create our pond. It was here when we bought the property, but we’ve spiffed it up. At about 80 square feet and less than two feet deep its but a speck of water set beneath our dining room window.

A Pond Out of Place

Woman standing at colorful pond's edge.

Wildlife attractant

It shouldn’t even exist. Our house is built on an ancient sand dune. Water percolates quickly into the soil and no natural pond or stream would have a chance of staying wet here. Fortunately, the previous owners had a hole dug and lined with a waterproof membrane. They then had it lined with stones and planted water lilies in a shallow bit of mud over the membrane. We’ve added native vegetation and domestic flowers that attract insects, birds, mammals and amphibians.

Wildlife Attractant

While eating every meal we watch the pond. Wild turkeys, cardinals, titmice, nuthatches, and house sparrows, are among the regular residents that come to drink within a few feet of where we sit. This spring a mallard pair swam in tiny circles during the two weeks they rested on their way north, and a few times wood ducks have settled in to rest. Each summer and fall hummingbirds forage on the succession of plants like Solomon Seal, Purple coneflower, Obedient Plant and other seasonal flowers. Although there is plenty of nectar, they also seem to prioritize “scuffling” with each other. Insects routinely make their rounds to the flowers.

Squirrels, chipmunks, and deer visit routinely. Once a mink jumped in for a quick swim. Cagey woodchucks sip and scoot off when they spot any movement inside.

We can figure out how all these animals make their way to the pond’s edge.

Baffling Visitors

However, some visitors and temporary residents baffle us. Every spring toads and tree frogs call from the pond’s edge and lay their eggs in the shallow water. Where did they come from and how far did they have to hop? Do they use a “hop-ometer” to measure their hops?

Unusual Visitor Returns

bullfrog sitting in shelter of pond outlet

Safe from predators

In the summer of 2020 an amazing visitor arrived at our pond unannounced. That same year, COVID-19, the Outdoor Writers Association of America held their conference virtually and sponsored the photo hunt with the theme “home.”
Marion’s photo of a frog sheltered in the pond’s egress won third prize!

That was the last we saw of frogs until this summer. Then, while we were eating lunch we spotted a bullfrog sitting on a rock at the pond’s edge. Frogs and ponds go hand in hand but what’s puzzling is, like with toads and tree frogs, how this frog knew our pond was there and how it found its way to it. Our home and pond are about a half mile from Indian Creek, the nearest body of water. And, we’re almost 200 vertical feet above the creek!

Long Way to Hop

To reach our pond the frog had to hop a long way through thick woods and prairies filled with animals that would love a frog dinner. Hawks, owls, snakes, coyotes, raccoons, opossums, and skunks live in the area and would quickly convert a hapless frog into lunch. Somehow our frog survived the gauntlet of predators and a long hop.

Our frog gives us joy watching it and we marvel at how it was able to hop into our lives.

Opportunities To Create A Pond

Many wildlife lovers set up bird feeders and create diverse plantings to lure wildlife into their yard.  They might consider taking it a step farther and building a tiny pond to entice a stream of wildlife to visit. Wonder how to do it? Check out thisoldhouse.com/yards.  Scroll down for a good read. There are also several credible YouTube videos that show how to create a tiny yard pond.

 

Woodchuck or Groundhog?

by | Jun 26, 2025 | (Sub)Urban Homesteading, Garden/Yard, Mammals, Pests

What’s In A Name?

A woodchuck looks up while eating grasses

Nibbling on grasses

A big furry animal has made a tunnel under the deck and clear cut down the garden. Is the culprit a woodchuck or groundhog? The answer is simple. They’re two names for the same animal.

 

 

The window by Marion’s computer desk overlooks our deck. On a spring morning, she was startled to look out and be face to face with a big woodchuck just outside the glass.

He soon ambled off. A few days later, we were enjoying basking in the sun in our outdoor nook. It’s next to a front lawn that we seeded with white clover last year. Out of the corner of our eye, we caught movement. It was the woodchuck, likely on his way to enjoy a clover lunch. When he spotted us, he quickly exited.

What is a Woodchuck?

Several species of marmots live across the northern hemisphere. Visitors to western national parks often see the Yellow-Bellied Marmot in higher elevations, but the one most Americans spot is the amazingly abundant woodchuck.

Woodchucks live in both suburban and rural areas from the Atlantic Ocean westward to Nebraska and Kansas and north to Hudson’s Bay and even Alaska.

Woodchuck ready to enter den.

Woodchucks are great tunnelers.

They are an amazing adaptable vegetarian. Among North American rodents only beavers are bigger. A huge male “chuck” can weigh up to 15 pounds. As rodents they have impressive incisor teeth and powerful legs perfect for digging burrows under decks or inside or near old sheds and brush piles.

True hibernators, male woodchucks emerge from their burrows in March here in Iowa. Females wait a few weeks and usually end their winter slumber in April. They’ll soon have three to five pups.  As soon as the babies’ eyes open, mom will bring them outside where they learn to dine on a wide range of vegetation. They love garden vegetables. Perhaps nothing is as tasty as beans, lettuce, or Swiss chard.

Tree Climbers?

Most people realize woodchucks are excellent diggers, but few recognize they are squirrels adept at climbing trees.  On hot summer afternoons, they love resting on a shady and breezy tree branch.

Reducing Woodchuck Damage

Although they’re big and active during the day, woodchucks are wary and usually vanish when they spot a person. They can’t hide the huge mound of dirt by their burrow, and a clear-cut bean patch also may mark their presence.

How do you reduce woodchuck damage? Since they can burrow, run, and climb, it’s challenging keeping them out of a yard or garden.

These Actions Can Help

Man fixes wire on porch sides to prevent woodchucks from living underneath the porch.

Rich placing wires to prevent woodchucks from digging under the porch.

Fencing:   A stout fence around a garden or deck can make access challenging. The fence needs to be dug into the ground. Placing a mesh of stout fencing on the ground under a deck will reduce the odds that a chuck will burrow there, but it has to be done before the animal starts making its home.

Dog:  An alert dog will chase chucks away.

Altering the yard: Removing brush piles where chucks like to burrow will encourage them to create a home elsewhere.

Trapping: Woodchucks are usually easy to catch in a box-type live trap. Set the trap near the burrow and bait it with bits of apple or other fruit. It helps to cover the trap with a tarp or some brush, as they feel more secure underneath something.

There’s a problem

What do you do with a healthy but very unhappy chuck caught in a box trap? Keep fingers out of the trap! Call the town animal control officer(s) and ask for their suggestions on what to do with it. We don’t advocate taking it on a long drive and releasing it in the country. It seems unethical to “give” the animal to someone who lives near the release area. Preventing damage is always best, but sometimes euthanizing a problem chuck is the best solution.

Woodchucks are amazing animals. We enjoy seeing them as long as they stay out of the garden!

 

Cottontail Rabbit Capers

by | Aug 1, 2024 | Garden/Yard, Mammals, Pests

Two young cottontail rabbits eating.

Young rabbits “play” to gain skills and show dominance.

Have you noticed the abundance of the cottontail rabbit this summer? While they can create mischief as in eating desired plants, they also are fun to watch.

Winding Pathway’s resident cottontail rabbits give us delightful evening entertainment. Shortly after sunset, a few appear like magic from out of our labyrinth’s tall prairie. As we sit on our porch they scamper about, chase each other, and nibble on the white clover poking out of our lawn.

 

Many people dislike cottontails for their habit of feasting on favored garden plants and gnawing on tree bark in the winter. Because we enjoy both rabbits and Swiss Chard, we keep them away from our vegetables and, thus, appreciate their antics.

Several cottontail species range across most of the United States, southern Canada, and South America. They’re well adapted to thrive in diverse environments. Ours is the Eastern Cottontail rabbit. This year they are especially abundant.

There are Rabbits and Then There are Rabbits

Wild Bunny and domestic bunny play side by side

Side by side

Cottontails and common domestic pet rabbits may look similar but they are vastly different.

Pet Bunnies

Pet bunnies trace their ancestry to Europe and were domesticated thousands of years ago. They make fascinating and loveable pets and thrive in a safe roomy hutch eating commercial pellets. These are the rabbits that were released in Australia and caused enormous agricultural and ecological damage. They readily breed, are social, and join others to dig a series of burrows called warrens. Some readers may remember the award-winning novel, Watership Down, and the Netflix series about precocious rabbits.

Cottontail Rabbits

Cottontails, in contrast, are wild animals that rarely, if ever, become tame or make good pets. Like European rabbits they are social and like the company of other bunnies but not people. Cottontails don’t make burrows but sometimes enjoy ducking down an abandoned woodchuck hole. Cottontails live under dense vegetation, in culverts, and under outbuildings. They eat a wide range of wild plants but love snacking on vegetables. In winter they sometimes eat the bark off young trees. So, be sure to protect your young trees with wire mesh around the base.

Enjoying Both Cottontails and Vegetables

Years ago, we learned a trick that lets us enjoy our resident cottontails and abundance from the garden. European rabbits are high jumpers, but not cottontails. Instead, native bunnies are long jumpers who can’t jump high. Just a wimpy two-foot-tall chicken wire fence around the garden or a young tree keeps them away as long as they can’t get under it.

Why So Many Cottontails This Year

For the past few years, Iowa has been in drought. It limited the new tender growth of clovers and other delectable plants that bunnies love. Sparse rain thinned thickets where they hide. This year’s been wet. Vegetation is tender and abundant yet we’ve not had big early thunderstorms.  Why’s that important to a cottontail?

Before giving birth, a cottontail digs a shallow hole in the ground, often near the edge of a lawn. She lines it with fur and soon deposits three to eight tiny blind helpless babies. Mom mostly stays away but nurses them in the morning or evening by sitting over the burrow and letting her babies nurse. They grow amazingly fast and are out on their own when only about three weeks old.  Mom soon gets ready for another litter.

Who Doesn’t Love a Cottontail Rabbit?

Predators love rabbits. They’re a favorite meal for dogs, cats, raptors, snakes, foxes, and coyotes. There are always rabbits because their survival strategy is to have many babies, even though only a small percent reach adulthood and reproduce.

Getting Rid of Cottontails

Well, why do it?  They are inquisitive and beautiful animals that share yards with people.

An easy solution is to run chicken wire around desirable plants to keep them away. So, people can have their plants and rabbits, too.

Hooray for bunnies! They brighten our evenings as they scamper about our yard.