Skip to Content

Do Deer Eat Lilies? (Read This First!)

Sharing is caring!

Lilies are one of the most colorful and attractive flowering plants. So, many people grow lilies in their gardens or surroundings. But sometimes, they face problems saving their lilies from hungry animals. You might be afraid of deer eating lilies. 

But you might be confused about whether deer eat lilies or not. Well, you have to know about the ingredients of lilies. Moreover, you have to know whether lilies attract deer or not. Also, if you want to save lilies from animals like deer, you have to know the processes. 

So, let’s see details about it. 

Do deer eat lilies?

Deer eat lilies. Even lilies are one of their favorites. Colorful lilies, their smell, and their taste attract deer the most. Deer will eat lilies wherever they find them. So, it becomes difficult to save lilies from deer. But some lilies are deer-resistant. Deer will not eat these resistant lilies.

However, lily plants have different portions. For example, leaves, blooms, buds, etc., might have different tastes. So, you have to know which part is suitable for deer. Let’s see whether deer eat these parts of lilies or not. 

Lilies plants:

Deer eat lily plants. Generally, lily plants have different portions. Deer like to eat the top portions. For example, flowers, leaves, buds, etc., are their favorite. Most lilies are not deer-resistant. But some lilies are deer-resistant. Deer will not eat these lilies.  

Lilies pads: 

Deer will eat lily pads. Generally, pads are common in water lilies. You might think that deer will not eat pads from water lilies since these are in the water. But deer still like to eat lily pads. 

Deer eat most parts of lilies. Lilies also can be of different types. If the lily is deer-resistant, deer will not eat these lilies’ pads. 

Lilies bulbs: 

Deer also eat lily bulbs. Lilies are one of the deer’s favorite snacks. They will eat lilies wherever they find these plants. Even deer like to eat lily bulbs. People often face difficulties saving lilies from deer. 

But some lilies are deer-resistant. Deer will not come to these lilies and also avoid bulbs of these lilies. But other lily bulbs are delicious for deer. They find these lilies and their bulbs very tasty. 

Lilyturf: 

Deer don’t like to eat lilyturf. Lilyturf is also known as Liriope. These are deer-resistant. Deer don’t find lilyturf delicious or attractive. So, this can be helpful for you. For example, if you want to grow lilies in your garden, you can grow lilyturf. Deer will not come to eat these. 

Do deer eat lilies of the valley?

No, deer will not eat lilies of the valley. Generally, lilies are delicious for deer. Even deer like lilies so much that you will face difficulties saving the lilies. Deer will eat lilies from the garden, even water lilies. But they will not eat lilies of the valley. 

So, it is pretty common that deer will eat lilies. Deer eat leaves and flowers from the lilies. They will also eat lilies, bulbs, and pads. So, you can say that lilies are one of their favorite plants. But lilies of the valley are one of the deer-resistant lilies. 

The entire plant is poisonous to deer. So, deer will avoid these lilies. If deer eat lilies of the valley accidentally, it can cause them digestive problems. Even emergency health problems might arise. 

So, deer don’t like the lilies of the valley. Once they get familiar with this plant, they will avoid these plants. If you want to grow deer-resistant lilies, you can grow lilies of the valley. 

Three reasons why deer eat lilies

Now that you know deer like to eat lilies, you might want to know the reasons. Lilies have some properties that attract deer. So, let’s see why deer eat lilies. 

Smell:

The smell of lilies attracts deer the most. The smell is the first thing that deer notice about a plant. If deer find the smell good, they will eat that plant. You might know that lilies have a distinctive smell. This smell attracts deer, and thus deer eat lilies. 

Taste:

Another reason for deer eating lilies is the taste. The taste of lilies is delicious to deer. Some lilies might be deer-resistant. Deer don’t like the taste of deer-resistant plants. 

But most lilies are tasty to deer. Even deer can sense the tastefulness of lilies from a distance. Lilies can be of different types. Different lilies have different tastes. So, deer can taste different lilies. That’s why deer eat lilies. 

Availability: 

Deer eat lilies because they are available. A lot of varieties of lilies are available. Even lilies can be found in the water. So, wherever deer will go, they will find a variety of lilies. 

Most lilies don’t cause any problems for deer. So, deer will find wild lilies in random places also. Deer can eat lilies wherever they want since these plants are pretty common. 

How do you keep deer from eating lilies?

Deer love to eat lilies. So, they will eat lilies from your garden and surroundings also. If you want to keep your lilies well, you have to take action. You have to keep deer away from lilies. So, let’s see how you can keep deer away from eating lilies. 

Fencing: 

First, you have to keep a barrier between deer and lilies. If you want to keep your area’s lilies safe from deer, you have to fence the plants. Fencing will keep the lilies safe. 

Moreover, ensure sufficient height of the fence so that deer can’t jump and eat lilies. Some lilies can grow high up to 8 meters. You have to protect these plants by fencing. 

Planting deer-resistant plants:

If you have lilies in a garden or a specific area, you can plant deer-resistant plants around the place. You have to grow these plants in the boundary line so that it can be a barrier for deer. When deer notice these resistant plants, they will not enter your garden. 

Planting deer-resistant lilies:

All lilies are not suitable for deer. Some lilies are also deer-resistant. You can grow these resistant lilies in your garden or area. Deer might come close to these plants to see the flowers. But they will not eat these lilies because these plants will deter deer. 

Are all lilies deer resistant? Do deer eat these?

No, all lilies are not deer-resistant. Most lilies are edible for deer. But some lilies are deer-resistant. Let’s see whether deer eat these lilies or not. 

Calla lilies: 

Calla lilies are deer resistant. That means deer don’t eat these lilies. The smell and taste of these lilies are not attractive to deer. 

Canna lilies: 

Canna lilies are also deer-resistant. These lilies have ingredients that are not suitable for the deer’s digestive system. So, deer don’t eat Canna lilies. 

Tiger lilies: 

Deer don’t prefer to eat tiger lilies. So, tiger lilies are also deer-resistant. 

Daylilies: 

Deer eat daylilies. Daylilies are not completely deer-resistant. But some of their varieties are deer-resistant. 

Asiatic lilies: 

Asiatic lilies are also deer-resistant. Deer don’t like to eat Asiatic lilies. Moreover, these lilies cause digestive problems to deer. 

Stargazer lilies: 

Stargazer lilies are also deer-resistant. Deer will not eat Stargazer lilies because the taste is not good for them. Moreover, these lilies also cause health problems if consumed a lot. 

Easter lilies: 

Deer eat easter lilies. These lilies have a delicious taste and smell. These tastes and smells attract deer to eat them. Moreover, easter lilies provide health benefits to deer. 

Oriental lilies:

Deer also eat oriental lilies. These lilies are similar to regular lilies. Moreover, oriental lilies are not toxic to deer. So, deer like to eat oriental lilies. 

Water lilies: 

Deer also eat water lilies. Even they love to eat water lilies’ pads. You might think that deer will not eat lilies from water. But deer eat these lilies, and they love the taste of water lilies. Moreover, water lilies don’t cause any health issues to deer. 

Toad lilies: 

Toad lilies are not deer-resistant. Deer find these lilies very delicious. So, deer will eat toad lilies. They will eat toad lilies from where they find them. Moreover, they will eat leaves, blooms, bulbs, etc., from toad lilies. 

What Lily is deer resistant?

You might know some lilies are deer-resistant. These lilies have compounds that are responsible for deterring deer. Moreover, deer don’t find these lilies attractive. Let’s see what lilies are deer-resistant. 

  • Calla lilies
  • Canna lilies
  • Tiger lilies
  • Asiatic lilies
  • Stargazer lilies

Final Thoughts

Deer eat lilies if the lilies are not deer-resistant. Some deer-resistant lilies are also available, but most lilies are edible for deer. Even deer eat leaves, blooms, bulbs, pads, and other parts of lilies. So, lilies are one of their favorite plants. They will eat lilies from any place.

Sharing is caring!