Meadow Vole Attack

This is the present appearance of one untouched clump containing two Siberian Iris plants.  According to the book, this mess should have been cleaned up last Fall.  That would have involved cutting still green leaves and seems rather mean.  We have always cleaned up last year's growth just as soon as we can get to unfrozen plants.  We believe that the cover of dead leaves insulates the crown of the dormant plants.  Just why a plant bearing the name Siberia needs protection from winter cold does not have a rational explanation.

When cleanup was under way we discovered that some of our clumps had been tunneled under.  The underside of the crown had been nipped clean of roots and much of the crown itself was gone. It is the first time that any of our garden plants have sustained this kind of damage.  Snow melt frequently reveals rodent activity of several types.  Mice leave a clear tan trail along the surface of grass.  Moles leave raised tunnels across the lawn that flatten easily and quickly regrow grass.  These monsters were different from anything that we had ever seen.  I was able to insert my hand into a tunnel.  Just why I did that surprised even me.  Nothing bit me and I stopped inserting body parts into dark holes.

This area inside of the stone wall was home to an iris that had grown huge shading out its neighbors.  I knew that removal and division were needed but did not think that me and my hand tools were up to the job.  With nearly all of the roots gone, the remains were easily removed and a small section from the edge was replanted.

A huge nest was discovered between the plant and the wall.  It consisted of a material never before seen here.  Its color and consistency clearly suggested that the chewed underside of the crowns was the source of the bedding.  Mom was home and sought cover between my foot and the wall.  She was obviously pregnant and quickly stepped on.  We feel fortunate to have ended her before the young were born.  Other than cleanup, we can think of no method to control an invasion of Meadow Voles.
Hopefully there are no more about but dad has to be out there somewhere.

This is today's picture of the first damaged clump that we discovered.  All of the pieces were replaced in firm contact with filled ground and watered.  There is new growth all across the plant but some is stronger than others.  We intend to let all of these remain so that we can learn just how these severely damaged pieces reestablish themselves.  With the ground cover removed perhaps our resident fox can clean out any voles that remain.