Woodchucks, also known as groundhogs, are a common sight across North America and are often a source of frustration for gardeners and homeowners. Yes, woodchucks eat flowers and ornamental plants. Woodchucks are herbivores with a large appetite, and they view a well-maintained garden as a readily available, nutrient-dense food source. Their presence can lead to significant damage as they consume a wide variety of cultivated plant materials.
Understanding the Woodchuck Diet
Woodchucks are opportunistic feeders, consuming whatever palatable vegetation is most accessible. Their natural diet primarily consists of wild grasses, clover, alfalfa, and other low-growing herbaceous plants found in fields and meadows. They are highly attracted to plants that are green, succulent, and high in moisture content, which includes many common garden vegetables and ornamentals.
Woodchucks must consume large quantities of food to build up fat reserves for hibernation. This pressure often causes them to venture into human-made landscapes where food density is higher than in the wild. While they prefer natural forage, they will quickly adapt their feeding habits to take advantage of tender, soft-tissue plants.
Flowers and Plants They Target
Woodchucks are particularly attracted to young, tender plant growth, which provides both high moisture and easy digestibility. Among ornamental plants, certain species are notorious favorites, including the lush foliage of hostas, the bright blooms of petunias, and the stems of daisies. They also frequently consume popular garden annuals like zinnias, cosmos, and phlox, often devouring entire plants down to the ground.
In addition to flowers, woodchucks will readily feed on the foliage of vegetable plants that are often grown alongside ornamentals, such as bean plants, peas, and squash leaves. Plants with a strong, pungent odor or those with a bitter or milky sap are generally less appealing to them, though this is not a guarantee of protection. Examples of plants they tend to avoid include those in the allium family like ornamental onion and garlic, as well as heavily scented herbs like mint, basil, and rosemary.
Distinguishing Woodchuck Damage from Other Pests
Identifying a woodchuck as the culprit requires examining the feeding pattern and looking for signs of their presence. Woodchucks use sharp incisors to feed, which results in a distinct, clean-cut appearance on the stems and leaves of plants. This is a key difference from deer damage, where the lack of upper incisors causes them to tear or pull the vegetation, leaving ragged, frayed edges.
Another important sign is the location of the damage; woodchucks will consume plants close to the ground, and in some cases, they may even climb short distances to reach higher vegetation. The most definitive sign, however, is the presence of a burrow, which is typically a large hole, 10 to 12 inches wide, with a noticeable mound of excavated dirt at the main entrance. Rabbits, while also leaving clean cuts, rarely clip stems larger than a quarter-inch in diameter and do not create the large, obvious burrows that woodchucks do.
Effective Deterrence Strategies
The most reliable strategy for protecting a garden from woodchucks is exclusion, which involves physically blocking their access to the plants. Because woodchucks are adept climbers and burrowers, a simple above-ground fence is often insufficient. A robust barrier should be constructed using heavy-gauge wire mesh, ideally extending at least three feet above the ground.
To prevent burrowing underneath, the fence must also be buried 10 to 12 inches deep, with the bottom portion bent outward in an “L-shape” away from the garden. While exclusion is the most effective method, repellents can offer a secondary line of defense. Woodchucks are known to dislike strong odors, so treatments using ingredients like blood meal, garlic, or cayenne pepper can be sprinkled around targeted plants or burrows.