The Official Word

Clipped Citrus

The new class of Master Gardeners had a presentation today from an expert on vertebrate pests, who told them that damage like that to our two Citrus trees is most likely done by deer, rather than by rabbits or squirrels.  

Damage higher than two feet:  check.

Twigs clipped instead of chewed or gnawed:  check.

Not much left on the tree:  check.

Conclusion:  deer.  

Other than the damage to the two small trees, we still haven't seen any signs of deer in the area.  You would think somebody would see them from time to time.   

The good news is that the tree now looks better than it did before the damage was done.  The second tree is also recovering, but it's a little slower.  

Recovering Citrus

We're just hoping the deer don't have a taste for the leaves on the new Avocado tree we just planted out behind the fence.

The Mystery Continues

Squirrel and Citrus

Most of the evidence in favor of absolving the ground squirrels of the mysterious attacks on the two citrus trees is negative evidence.

First, we've had these three citrus trees for over two years now and we certainly have had ground squirrels in the area the entire time we've lived here.  We've also had skunks, opossums, pack rats and other small varmints in the area, both inside and outside the fence.  So the squirrels have had plenty of opportunity to dine on citrus leaves for several years now and have shown no inclination to do so before this.

Nothing ever bothered the citrus trees until we moved two of them outside the fence a few months ago.  That would seem to indicate a larger critter that either can't get inside the fence or is reluctant to come too near the house.  That would not be the squirrels, because they easily hop through the hedge and they're bold enough to come right up and steal the blueberries off the bushes right by the patio.

The third citrus inside the fence so far hasn't been touched, and as this picture shows, the ground squirrels are around it pretty much all the time as they continue to stuff themselves on our birdseed.  They've gotten so fat on the bird seed that I'm starting to think they're going to blow up like Harry Potter's Aunt Marge someday and float off into the wild blue yonder.  Fantasy aside, that's actually another point in their favor; I'm not sure the thin citrus branches would support the weight of these increasingly rotund varmints and none of the branches has been broken off, they've all be sliced right through, not broken, chewed or gnawed.

If you see a small, furry blimp floating across your horizon someday, it might be one of our ground squirrels, but I'm starting to think they're probably not the mysterious citrus leaf eaters.

Mystery Citrus In Bloom

We still don't know what they are.  We thought the bushes Cindy and Judy bought a couple of years ago were Meyers Lemons (see "Of Lemons And Limes"), because that's what the nursery had labeled them.  However, when the fruit stubbornly refused to turn from green to yellow, we began to think they might be limes instead.

But a couple of months ago, the fruit began to turn yellow.  They still didn't look like Meyers Lemons, but they also didn't look like limes any more.  We've been using them for cooking--they're definitely citrus, but don't taste much like either lemons or limes.  Limons?  We really have no idea.

While Cindy was gone a couple of months ago, one of the fruits fell off what we believe is an orange tree, so I put it in the kitchen.  When she got back, she opened it up, and said it was definitely an orange, but not completely ripe yet.  So now we know what that one is.  The third tree hasn't put out any kind of fruit at all, so we don't know what it is.

Here's an updated picture of the citrus plant out behind the fence.  The buds have burst into blossom (white blossoms, it should be noted) and there are even two fruits developing on the branches.  There aren't many leaves on this plant, but if the buds are any indication, it's a pretty happy plant.  It looks good in front of the blue Plumbago blossoms, too.

The citrus plant in front of the fence has a few buds on it, but it has a lot more leaves and is looking good, too.

Maybe someday we'll figure out what they are.