Mice, rats, moles, voles, rabbits.  Nibbling, gnawing destroyers.  This winter was a good one for them.  When the snow piles up, they are able to reach places they otherwise can’t.  All winter long they assiduously work, and now as the snow melts it reveals the scope of their accomplishments.

Two pear trees and all our new blueberries were killed.  Several other trees were damaged, but some of them might survive since the damage doesn’t fully encircle the growth layer.  The rats and mice perforated the lower end of the greenhouse film and destroyed a surprisingly large section of the hens’ winter hoophouse cover.