Leaf Count--33 Leaves

I counted the remaining leaves on the ravaged citrus tree yesterday and found 33 remaining leaves, including a few that hadn't quite unfurled yet.

This morning there are still 33 leaves, so moving the plant from outside the fence to the driveway in front of the garage seems to have worked, at least for now.   However, I did see one of the ground squirrels scamper away from the steps leading up to the driveway the other day.

Cindy's Master Gardner pest control sources indicate that the likely suspects for this type of damage are usually deer, ground squirrels or rats.  We haven't seen any other signs of deer, but we definitely have squirrels and various types of rats.  By keeping track of how many leaves are left, we hope to be able to tell whether any further damage is caused during the day (squirrels) or at night (rats), so we can devise a plan to thwart the critter.

Whatever the varmint is, it has very sharp teeth.