Do deer eat Virginia creeper?

Virginia creepers have a wide variety of uses. They make an excellent ground cover to control soil erosion on slopes and in shagged regions. Their barks and berries have been used for ages in traditional medicine. Besides, Virginia creepers can boost the appeal of your garden. Their fall foliage is mostly a fantastic choice for growers looking to replace other exotic plants. Virginia creepers are also great for covering terraces, fences, arbors, and walls. You can also have them around old stumps, rock piles and to hide ‘eyesores.’ If you wish to cultivate Virginia creepers, what animals and pests would you be on the search for? One other question you might ask is – do deer eat Virginia creeper?

Deer and Virginia creepers

Deer eat Virginia creepers, especially the vines, leaves, and stems. Other animals like chipmunks, squirrels, skunks, and cattle may also feed on the leaves and stems. However, birds will mostly eat the berries of this plant. Yet, even as deer can eat Virginia creepers, it won’t do much harm to it as long as it munches on mature Virginia creepers. Virginia creepers require pruning to prevent them from getting out of control. So deer can serve as your pruning system, as long as the population is not too high.

Nevertheless, deer can feed on your Virginia creepers at an earlier age. It is vital to protect them at the early stages. A great way to do so is by using individual protective structures. You can consider using deer netting or black plastic mesh. Wire cages are also excellent choices.

Another great deer deterrent method you need alongside are repellents. Repellents will help you keep deer out through their deer repelling taste and odors. For your repellents to remain effective, you need to reapply regularly. We also recommend rotating your repellent mixes to keep deer from becoming familiar with their taste or scent.

It is equally possible to use scare tactics such as motion-activated sprinklers, gas exploders, and radios to scare deer away. Your dog can also guard against deer invasion, but you need to keep an eye on them to prevent all sorts of confrontations.

Considerations

Virginia creepers are highly toxic to humans. They can be fatal if ingested; it might be fatal and can cause skin irritation to some people. If you wish to use Virginia creepers on your walls, ensure you need them as permanent fixtures. Once your Virginia creepers become established, it would be highly challenging to remove them. You may even have to damage your walls while trying to get them out. Besides, Virginia creepers can also choke or crowd other plants. Therefore, you need to think about your decisions before growing this plant variant carefully.

Concluding thoughts

Do deer eat Virginia creeper? Yes, they do but will not cause damage to this plant. Virginia creepers are highly aggressive and may grow faster than the deer damage. However, they are also toxic to humans, so you need to understand where and how you wish to use them. The following is a list of landscape plants rated according to their resistance to deer damage.

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