Amy in My Garden

by Donna Lewis

Spring is upon us. It’s March. So I have been spending the last six weeks getting the garden cleaned up, ready for the pollinators: raking leaves, trimming bushes, and pulling up dead plants so I can put the pollinator seeds in.

This year, I had an early visitor to the garden – “Amy” the nine-banded armadillo. Dasypus novemcinctusSomehow, she managed to get inside the garden fencing and the garden gates.

Now, Amy didn’t just stroll around looking at my plants No, she decided to dig a little here and there.

Amy has been visiting the garden for about four weeks now. All of my efforts to persuade her to stay outside the garden and dig in the pasture have failed.

So, I ask the question, whose garden is it?

I actually caught her wandering around early one morning and herded her out a gate. I thought I’d been successful and my garden was safe. And it was, for two days, until Amy got inside again.

I plugged every hole and put up boards and big rocks everywhere I could. I worked for a week! And then, oops, Amy was back again. I was starting to think there was a magical portal she used.

Now, being a naturalist, you know I would never harm an armadillo. I just try to gently guide them to other areas.

So we ask the question again, whose garden is it?

Why, Amy’s, of course…we learn to live with our friends.

More details to come as Amy’s story continues.

Two Possible Solutions

1. Armadillo repellent: “Sweeney’s” Mole and Gopher Repellent. Advantage: It’s all natural and contains no poison. Disadvantage: Expensive.
2. Run fencing down below grade for one to two feet. Advantage: It works. Disadvantage: Hard to do.