Earlier in the summer, we planted around 90 pine trees, 50 autumn olive, 30 mountain ash, and 20 cottonwood trees. The deer are starting to come around again, and have a history of killing our trees by eating the needles/leaves and rubbing their antlers on the bark. So, what we have decided to do to keep the deer at bay is to make a fence around our entire house/backyard/garden/trees area.
Dad and I put a stretch of fence up yesterday. There is one wire of barbed wire fence about four inches from the ground, then the webbed fence, and at the very top of the fence posts we put two more stretches of wires. Overall it's close to 8 feet tall in height. There is a certain satisfaction just knowing that a sneaky nocturnal animal has been conquered of their bad habits.
The picture of the tree was a mystery as to how it happened when my mom and I spotted them while walking across the bridge one Saturday. Originally, I had thought that the culprits in charge were the beavers, since they had left some evidence of their gnawings on the bark. But, looking closer, we noticed that the trees' roots rotted through, and when one tree went down on one side, so did the tree on the other side. However, the two in the middle are still standing, but I am wondering for how long.
Tomorrow I am off to get my Malaria pills, and get my money ready to be converted into Kwatcha (Zambia currency). Then, it's packing time!
Looks like you guys have been busy! I do know what you mean about the deer. They're so beautiful, but they can be quite destructive. At least right now, I guess you only have to worry about deer. In a few weeks, you'll be watching out for lions too ;-) Hope that you're continuing to have a great summer. God bless you! Be dangerous.
ReplyDelete