One of the many benefits of living in panhandle Florida is the relatively mild winters. While the days and nights are not the subtropical temperatures of south Florida in October, the thermometer readings are far above the frigid readings so common currently in much of the country.
A secondary advantage of the local climate is the opportunity for anyone to grow their own leafy cool-season vegetables. These healthy menu choices flourish in the brisk temperatures and have relatively few insect problems when compared to warm season gardens.
Alas, there are still voracious garden predators lurking mostly unseen and awaiting the opportunity to hop over and make an uninvited dinner appearance. Unfortunately, many north Florida gardeners experience frustration in attempts to defeat the cunning residents of the wild.
Justifiable or not, much of the non-insect damage to gardens and landscapes is blamed on rabbits. In reality, vegetables, fruit and plants are consumed by a variety of wildlife including deer, coyote and many others. Even migrating birds can inflict damage.
The eastern cottontail is the local rabbit species. If you see one, there are likely hundreds in the area.
The size of tooth marks, the bite pattern, and the size of the material consumed is helpful in determining which species was snacking in the garden or on the shrubs. While rabbits can easily clip tender vegetation with the sharp incisors at the front of their mouth, their relatively short height usually limits their reach beyond 15 inches above the ground.
Rabbits typically clip seedlings and leaves with a clean, angled cut remaining on the stem. Preferred stems are usually less than 1/4 inch in diameter and tooth marks are 1/16 to 1/8 inches wide.
The native rabbit in north Florida is the eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus). These bunnies are commonly found in the eastern half of the U.S. and parts of the west, and the native range extends to parts of Canada and Mexico.
Their dense populations are a reflection on their high rate of reproduction, based on available food and hospitable environmental conditions. With an average 30 day gestation period and weening at just over two weeks, there can be four to six new rabbit generations annually.
With an average of five rabbit kits per litter, two rabbits can produce 20 to 30 replacements per year. To compound the population explosion, rabbits can start reproducing at two months of age.
Young rabbits begin eating at about a week after birth and are completely weaned at 15 days old. Mother rabbits will leave the young unattended during the daylight hours and feed them only twice a day, morning and night, which encourages foraging for these very hungry animals.
Were it not for the native natural enemies and exotic predators, this region would be quickly covered in rabbits. Snakes, owls, hawks, coyotes and many other carnivores are only too happy to dine on the careless or luckless rabbit which strays too far beyond cover.
The human residents take a toll, also. While rabbits can run almost 20 miles per hour for short bursts, their timing in heavy vehicle traffic is occasionally faulty and fatal.
Still, gardeners have to go to great lengths to overcome the temptations offered by a vegetable garden or well-groomed landscape. Fine mesh fences, repellents, and dummy predators all work to some degree.
While the cute little bunnies with their pink noses are ever a threat, at least the weather is cooler. Gardens and landscape plants are always a dining option for some creature, especially when other possibilities fade with the season’s progression.
Leave a Reply