It has been very sad to watch my healthy, gorgeous milkweeds disappear one by one. The cages built for this plot had too big of holes to offer the best protection from underground creatures. I spoke to Ron about this, and he will have more plants to restock in the spring. The Showy on the east side appeared to be eaten but not pulled out from below, which means we have a chance that its roots will be established and regrow next spring. The others appear to be completely “disappeared” – attacked from underground.
The North Plot is doing much better. David and I used chicken wire we had laying around to build the baskets. There are gopher holes but no attrition thus far. Some good news – the plant that was pulled out by the cow, it appears to be regrowing. I have changed the cell from gray to white to indicate survival (see plot map above).
Just like with farming, you can only do the best you can. Every season is a learning opportunity and has a new foe. Some years are good, some devastating. There are no guarantees, but we must try.
Heather Bernikoff 