What ate my shamrock (oxalis)?

[Patty Winter]

I've had a "shamrock" plant sitting on my deck for years. I put "shamrock" in quotes because I don't know what real Irish shamrock is, but I bought this in California and I'm quite certain it's some kind of oxalis. It usually looks like the one in this photo:

However, as of a couple of days ago, mine looks like this:

I found a little bit of snail slime inside the pot, but the plant has been sitting in the same spot for a long time with no previous problems of the flowers and leaves disappearing, despite the presence of snails in the area for years. Also, I think a snail would have to be pretty small to make it up those thin stalks. This plant was eaten within two or three days.

The only other things I can think of that could have eaten that much that quickly are squirrels and raccoons. Are either of them interested in oxalis? A quick Google search didn't turn up anything.

I've got the plant up on a garden toolbox right now, and I can leave it there so it can regrow, but I'm still curious what could have done so much damage in just a couple of days! Any ideas?

Patty

[Boron Elgar]

Groundhog?

Boron

[Patty Winter]

Nothing like that around here (suburban San Jose). Haven't even seen a possum in years. Squirrels and raccoons are the only things bigger than a bird in this area.

Patty

[Boron Elgar]

If it one of the edible varieties, perhaps a human came by and snipped of the leaves.

[Frank]

Dirt around pot makes me think squirrels.

[Patty Winter]

[snip]

Oh, sorry if I wasn't clear. The plant HAD been on the deck, but I moved it atop a garden toolbox to minimize the chance of it being attacked again. In the process, I took it out of its external pot. The dirt you see is just the lower part of the roots that had grown through the bottom of the internal part.

Nonetheless, squirrels are still suspects. Do you know whether they eat oxalis?

Patty

[Frank]

I was curious and had googled and found this:

Maybe not specific but squirrels eat vegetation while raccoons are more omnivore. I have trouble with both.

Deer are my biggest problem and when they have a tough time finding the stuff they like they eat my ivy and even evergreens. Your critters may be hard up for food.

[Nellie]

Hi Patt,

I'm in Contra Costa Co and we have lots of critters. None of them eat plants, tomatoes, yes, plants, no.

However, I have had snails take down a plant overnight. This is what I suspect is the case here.

Nellie

[Patty Winter]

Hello to CoCo!

Do you have deer? They eat any plant they can find, don't they? Mind you, that isn't what happened to my plant; I'm just curious about your situation.

I had snails take down a basil plant in a couple of days once. All the way down to the dirt! Do you think they might like oxalis leaves, but not the stalks? Also, could the stalks hold the weight of a snail without breaking? That's what mystifies me--unless it was a horde of very young snails. :-)

Patty

[Patty Winter]

Hmmm, thanks, I guess that rules out squirrels!

"It might make sense for squirrels to eat leaves, but they actually can not digest cellulose. Cellulose is the material in the cell walls of plants, which means greenery of any sort is essentially useless to squirrels."

I guess we're back to the snail theory, although as I mentioned in my followup to Nellie's posting, I don't see how they could have gotten up to the leaves without breaking the stalks. Oxalis doesn't exactly have robust stalks.

Patty

[Pat Kiewicz]

Do you have earwigs in your area? They feed at night and mainly stick to seedlings, leaves, and flowers (when they are feeding on plants).

I've also observed gold finches and house finches nibbling greens at various times. They tend to hit one plant over and over, in my experience. I've had them nibble on various herbs, lettuce, and broccoli tops.

[Brooklyn1]

Use this:

[Patty Winter]

Thanks, I do own a security camera that I could set up, but it's too late now...

Patty

[Patty Winter]

We do, although I don't recall ever seeing them up on the deck, just down on the ground. That occurred to me, but how much could a single earwig eat in a day or two? Seems like there would have had to be a whole bunch of them to eat all those leaves so quickly, even if they had found their way up to the deck.

Interesting. We do have house finches (or some type of finches) around here. A plant sitting behind a railing on a deck doesn't seem like the likeliest target for a bird, but who knows...

Patty

[~misfit~]

I wish snails ate oxalis as it's a noxious weed here in New Zealand and spreads very quickly. I see a lot of snails around at night and they eat most everything I don't want them to eat. However all of the oxalis is healthy and untouched. :-/