Holes in flower bed - Ask Extension
It isn't much to go on, but are you able to tell me what critter/insect would dig these? They appear to be dug from underneath as the holes are "clean...
Knowledgebase
Holes in flower bed #278519
Asked September 15, 2015, 10:09 PM EDT
It isn't much to go on, but are you able to tell me what critter/insect would dig these? They appear to be dug from underneath as the holes are "clean" at the openings.
County Michigan
Expert Response
Looking at the holes and trying to guess the scale of the holes, it appears they are about an inch across. The only thing... as in critter... that will make a clean hole this large is a big bird (not the yellow one) like a crow.
Moles push up soil, both eastern and starnosed.
Chipmunks pile soil on one side of the hole.
Skunks and raccoons ruin lots of stuff around the hole.
Check to see how deep the hole is. This is the quickest way to determine if it was made from the top or the bottom. If the hole ends, it was from the top. If it continues down and wanders off horizontally, it is something else.
Crayfish push up a pile of soil around the hole that looks like it got squeezed out of a pastry tube. A bird hole will taper as it goes down. If the top and the bottom of the hole are the same diameter and it is not too deep, did anyone push a dowel rod or a round stick into the soil?
Moles push up soil, both eastern and starnosed.
Chipmunks pile soil on one side of the hole.
Skunks and raccoons ruin lots of stuff around the hole.
Check to see how deep the hole is. This is the quickest way to determine if it was made from the top or the bottom. If the hole ends, it was from the top. If it continues down and wanders off horizontally, it is something else.
Crayfish push up a pile of soil around the hole that looks like it got squeezed out of a pastry tube. A bird hole will taper as it goes down. If the top and the bottom of the hole are the same diameter and it is not too deep, did anyone push a dowel rod or a round stick into the soil?
