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March 19, 2006
Just When They're Getting Friendly
When spring finally arrived, I knew the day was coming when the buds on the fruit trees and lilac bushes would catch their attention, but Flora can't quite chew such tough things yet, and Cama's habitual circuit of the yard had put them in the weedy back half much more of the time than the treed, landscaped front part. That may also have been because I've been doing yard work this week as they were wandering around, pruning things they might otherwise be sampling. Not today, however. |
I can't let them in anymore. The llamas, shown here happily cropping the grass, are our favourite animal guests. We don't let the goats in the yard, because the last time Neru (the billy goat) came over, the greedy beast climbed my tiny cherry tree to reach the remaining leaves at the top, and broke a large branch off under his massive weight. But until now Cama and her baby, who after only a month is just now using her teeth, were not very destructive. Cama couldn't do much damage over the winter, when there wasn't much growing that she liked other than grass and pine needles.
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So, when I grabbed a bucket of alfalfa cubes and led the ladies out the gate this afternoon (earlier than usual), I tried to explain to them that today was their last visit. I feel so guilty – we really enjoy having them around, and with almost daily visits, Cama will now let me give her a scratch down the neck, and Flora lets me rub her under the chin. But, that's it. At least until we get some posts in the ground and several lengths of sturdy string to create a llama-proof barrier across the back corner between the fences and the barn. Supposedly, unless provoked to jump a llama won't pass through rope hung at chest and knee level, as long as it's a bright enough colour and substantial enough for her to notice it before she goes right through it. (The goats, on the other hand, will try anything to push down, squeeze under or climb over a fence.) We can still enjoy the llamas by heading out the back gate with a bucket of alfalfa for them, and on this side of the fence my flowers will hopefully recover and grow in peace from now until autumn.
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Sometime during my lunch break, when I left them unsupervised in the yard for a while, Cama found the fresh new leaves of my beds of irises. Since they'd been unscathed the past two weeks since sending up the first bit of green, I thought they were okay. I was more worried about my chomped up lamb's ear and columbine. But when I went back to collecting yard trimmings after lunch, I happened past the irises and noticed a fat pale green root, sheared off cleanly, parallel to the ground. Hmm. Hard to believe my rake had done that this morning. So I checked all the other beds, and every last one was missing its new leaves. She ate everything. When did she go from disinterest to insatiable craving?!
Hope you enjoy these photos featuring one-month-old Flora. The yard itself doesn't look very spring-like in the photos yet, especially compared to those of you in balmy Victoria and Vancouver, but you'd only have had to watch Flora investigating things this afternoon to notice the buds and shoots growing everywhere. I can't wait to see what will come up next. (No gardening tomorrow, though – doing my taxes instead. Oh joy.)Posted by anita at March 19, 2006 7:07 PM
Comments
Oh, Anita, you sound pretty calm about those chomped up irises! I'd have had a fit! You really are soft with the llamas. Happy gardening!
Posted by: Marja-Leena | 19:40 19 March 2006
Soft, yes, but I have my limits. If I'd known they'd suddenly take a liking to them, I would have kept them away. I didn't see them at all today, I spent the day working on our taxes. Ugh. And it was a beautiful morning, too.
Posted by: Anita | 20:21 20 March 2006