Many of us consider flowering plants to be our valued possession as gardening is a popular hobby among people across the world with an ever-growing interest in gardening recently.
However, taking care of these flowering plants requires dedication and delicate care from predators. In the abstract below, you will learn information about protecting your flowering plants.
Do squirrels eat pansies?
There are many creatures that eat pansies, squirrels are also notably known to eat and damage the pansies. Squirrels like to chew on the pansies and damage the plant considerably if not eat it completely. They are known to eat both the flowers and the leaves, so you should take appropriate measures.
Pansies are small flowering plants that grow throughout the year. It is a plant that thrives in all seasons but they are noticed to bloom in large amounts around the regions of North America.
The pansies grow outdoors in equal vigor throughout the year but their flowers bloom during the fall and winter seasons – which is why most pansy gardeners grow them near their blooming season.
The texture of the pansy blooms consists of five rounded petals in a single stem of the flower.
Their flowers are solid colors ranging between red, purple, blue, bronze, pink, black, yellow, white, lavender, orange, apricot, and mahogany with distinct dark lines extending outwards from the center.
These patterns being similar to viola often cause pansies to be confused with violas.
In terms of size, the plant is quite compact and does to stretch out – being at most 9 inches in height and spread radius. Their leaves are heart-shaped with a moderate dark green color.
Due to their small size, they are ideal for animals such as rats, mice, and squirrels to prey on and damage their delicate leaves and flowers.
Out of several animals threatening your pansy flowers and plants around your garden, squirrels are one of the notorious animals who are omnivorous – which means they will eat and damage any plant they find in your garden, including your pansy plants.
Leaves:
A squirrel’s diet includes vegetables, nuts as well as insects – so they are not only threatening to your pansies but also other plants.
If you notice your pansies are chewed and bitten off, then there is a high chance that this damage was done by squirrels.
Squirrels like to chew on leaves and pansy leaves are no different. Squirrels would usually eat off the leaves partially, so you can take the damaged plant and replant them – but if they come in groups, they will leave all the leaves of the plant damaged.
Flowers:
Pansy plants bloom during the fall and winter season, a time at which the squirrels are preparing for hibernation so they will be out to gather and store food as much as possible.
So pansy flowers are nothing notable in a squirrel’s preference but will eat them if they come across them.
Do squirrels like pansies?
A squirrel is an omnivorous animal which means they will eat both plant-based items and living animals that they find out in the wild. Their diet includes nuts, seeds, vegetables, plants, insects, beetles as well as eggs.
They also eat different sorts of plants that include flowering plants such as pansies as well.
But a squirrel’s food gathering habit includes scouring the areas around their home in search of nuts, insects, and vegetables out of which they love to eat things such as nuts, seeds, tree flowers, and tree buds.
So when they are out, their preference is to look for these items out of others.
If your pansies are young and have not fully grown yet, squirrels will prefer eating them – which puts young pansies at a risk. But if you manage to grow your pansies into maturity, they still run the risk of being eaten by squirrels – but not like.
However, in the blooming season, the pansy flowers will attract the attention of squirrels since they like eating the flowers.
reasons why squirrels eat pansies:
A squirrel’s diet consists of a wide array of items that include items found in the wild as well as grown within the bounds of our fences as well. Below discussed are the common reasons why squirrels might be eating away your pansies:
Eating it just because they can:
Since squirrels are known to be omnivorous, they would eat just about anything that is plant-based, which includes leaves and flowers as well. If squirrels come across your pansies in your garden, they will eat them.
During the bloom season of the pansies, you can expect more squirrels to eat the flowers since they like eating flowers.
Shortage of food nearby:
If there are lots of squirrels in the same area, they will have to compete to find food which could create a shortage in their food harvesting locations. Such shortages will force the squirrels to relocate to new locations in search of food.
In some cases, that could be your garden where you planted your pansies.
Stockpiling for hibernation:
Between fall and winter, the pansy plants bloom numerous amounts of flowers – which happens to coincide with the hibernation period of the squirrels. And before they go to hibernation, they stockpile enough food to make them last throughout the winter.
This is why they will eat away any food they find nearby – of which pansy flowers are preferred by them.
How to keep squirrels away from pansies? How do you stop squirrels from eating my pansies?
Squirrels could turn out to be a menacing threat to your pansies if proper protection is not taken and squirrel repellents haven’t been set up.
In that case, it is necessary for you to consider one or multiple of the methods described below in order to keep your pansies from getting eaten by squirrels:
Use deer deterrents such as fox or wolf urine:
One of the most common yet effective ways to keep away not just squirrels but any animal is to mark territory with the scent of its predator.
Since squirrels have a strong sense of smell, they will immediately pick up the scent of the deer deterrent which usually contains either fox or wolf urine. As long as the scent of the deterrent remains strong, it will effectively keep squirrels from even approaching the area.
Spray Cayenne pepper:
The method of spraying cayenne pepper does not discourage the arrival of squirrels or keep them away, rather the spray is applied to the pansies so that it becomes undesirable for the squirrels to eat.
Coating the pansies with cayenne pepper will make the leaves and the flower incredibly spicy for squirrels to eat.
Add bone meal to the soil:
Bone meal is another scent-based remedy, just like deterrents. When bone meal is sprinkled and applied into the soil, they emit a smell that the squirrels dislike and would not prefer to approach. This method works effectively but you need to reapply them after rainfall.
Will coffee grounds keep squirrels away from pansies?
Coffee grounds have a strong smell that squirrels do not like. Although its scent is pleasant to people, it is very off-putting for squirrels and discourages them from entering areas with that smell.
An effective way to keep squirrels away from pansies is to sprinkle freshly ground coffee beans on top of the soil around the pansies and sprinkle water over them every few days. In doing so, the scent of the coffee grounds will be amplified and keep squirrels away long term.
What is a good squirrel repellent?
Below listed are some commonly known effective squirrel repellents to protecting your pansies:
Sprinkling ground coffee beans on soil:
Coffee beans release a strong scent when they are freshly ground up. Although their scent is pleasant to people, the scent is too much and unbearable for squirrels, which is why they will avoid any areas that emit the scent of ground coffee beans.
Hot pepper flakes and cayenne powder on soil:
Hot pepper flakes or cayenne powder leave a bad experience for squirrels that try to taste them, which is why they will best avoid areas that have the scent of hot pepper or cayenne.
Garlic spray on plants:
Garlic also has a distinctive strong smell which the squirrels dislike. You can make a mixture of garlic juice and water to spray on the plants.
Apple cider vinegar spray on plants:
The acetic smell and taste of apple cider vinegar are quite disliked by squirrels. Take advantage of that by spraying the vinegar solution on fences and areas that the squirrels use to enter.
Final Thoughts
There are a variety of species that eat pansies, with squirrels being one of them. Squirrels like chewing on the pansies and, if not totally eaten, cause significant harm to the plant. They have been known to consume both the flowers and the leaves, so take the necessary precautions.