Rabbits!

I have a love/hate relationship with rabbits this year. We had not seen rabbits in our yard until last year, when we would get one or two who visited occasionally and just seemed to eat a little grass. I think the coyotes and hawks had kept them under control in past years. This year, we are getting more full grown rabbits and rabbit babies. They have been feasting on my perennials and annuals, and it looks like some will not recover. They especially like tender new growth.

This photo shows how they have eaten the lower sections of scarlet runner beans. They are recovering and giving us more beans than we can eat. Other plants aren't doing as well.

At this point, my strategy is to plant more plants, so there are enough for the rabbits to eat and for me to enjoy. I will also pay attention to plants they don't favor, and I may increase these. For example, they don't seem to eat salvias and agastache. I had thought they were leaving the hardy fuchsias alone, but it appears they've chewed out a section of a newly planted one.

I may need to try fencing some areas next year, to protect newly emerging plants.