Poor DEAD hosta . . .

The VOLE

For the fox, the owl, and the hawk, a vole is the most delectable entree on natures menu.   This small mammal is the “meal of choice” for many woodland predators.   For the hosta gardener however, the vole is an anathema.

So  - -  what is a vole?

The vole has the appearance of an obese, snub-nosed mouse that lost his tail.   This little critter is actually quite cute but so is a baby bobcat.  Not to be confused, moles are carnivores that tunnel the earth in search of worms and grubs, while voles are herbivores, patrolling behind the mole, utilizing the mole’s tunnels in search of roots and tubers.  The mole discovers an abundance of worms in a well-watered garden and right behind him, the vole discovers the lush crowns of our hostas.  One day the hosta is dazzling and the next day that same plant has succumbed, having no crown or root system left.

 To reach maturity, some varieties of hosta may require up to 5 years of growth.   Many years of watering, fertilizing, and soil amending goes into a hosta garden.   A rabbit or deer may nibble on the leaves without serious distress, but the subterranean vole can undermine an entire plant overnight.   No other villain of the garden can wreak such spontaneous and lethal havoc.

Over the years we have experimented with poisons, live traps, lethal traps,  cat urine,  caster bean oil, wind vibrators, with voodoo - - nothing really works.   A contributing factor is that all our gardens are accessed by wooden sidewalks.   While these walkways proffer a comfortable gardening experience, they also create the perfect vole habitat - - safe and dry.   Gayle says we have provided them a “super highway” for traveling throughout the gardens unobserved.   While our cats capture an occasional vole, they eat far more cat food than rodents.

This is a VOLE

 Beginning a few years ago we initiated a new hosta planting protocol.  We purchased ¼” mesh x 4 ft wide galvanized, heavy gauge hardware cloth.  From these rolls we cut strips about 8" wide.  These strips are then formed into circles and wired together into bottomless cages.   As you can see - Callie has a lot of fun playing in them.  After Callie tires of her game, each cage is buried flush with the ground and within the cage is planted a new hosta. 

This is a MOLE

This is a VOLE

 The vole is a popular prey animal and is very reluctant to expose himself above ground.  Therefore, the vole will rarely surface to travel over the cage and because the available food and easy digging is all within the upper 6” inches, the vole will not tunnel under the cage.   We have installed several hundred such cages around new (and existing) plants and we are hopeful this approach will solve our vole problem.                          So far, so good.

    What is the moral of this story?   Hostas have not had eons of time to evolve in the environment here on the hill and introducing these “foreigners” poses a serious risk to their well-being.   Sometimes, newcomers can “out compete” the native forms and sometimes they're just not equipped to compete successfully. 

     We are the foreigner’s best friend.   Hostas can only survive, long-term, through our continuous care and attention.  Take a look below and see what hostas can look like when they remain unmolested by that nasty little VOLE.