Iguanas are one of Southwest Florida’s four-legged plant and landscape pests. UF/IFAS

Lat month we imagined the unhappy scenario of finding a plant, or plants, in distress in your landscape. Distress might be characterized as holes or tears in the leaves, pieces of the plant on the ground, or even a plant that appears to be defoliated overnight. Sometimes this damage is caused by non-beneficial insects, and we learned that insect pests can be identified by the type of damage they cause to plants. The same is true of wildlife, or what I refer to as four-legged pests; these pests leave characteristic damage that can help you identify, and hopefully develop strategies to control, the responsible animal.

The worst and most abundant rodent pest in Florida is the roof rat (Rattus rattus, a.k.a. citrus rat, fruit rat, black rat or gray rat). These rats were introduced to America on the first ships that reached the New World, and they are the same species that carried bubonic plague around the world. These rats are nocturnal and will usually go unnoticed until their favorite fruits begin to ripen. Characteristic damage in fruits such as citrus, papaya, cantaloupe and watermelon is a circular hole approximately the size of a half dollar, with the whole fruit hollowed out. In other fruits such as apples, mangos, peaches and tomatoes, large sections of the fruit will be eaten. Smaller fruits such as blueberries, grapes and strawberries will disappear completely causing some gardeners to blame birds for the damage. Roof rats also destroy a significant amount of sugar cane in Florida annually. The rats are tree-dwellers by nature, but will also nest in attics, debris piles or hollow trees; they have also been known to burrow in canal banks and under sidewalks. Prevention of these rats is sometimes difficult as they are good climbers and swimmers, but isolating fruit trees away from trees, wires and other tree branches is a good start. Suggestions for roof rat control/prevention are available from UF/IFAS; search for “controlling roof rats” for detailed strategies.

Over the past two decades in more rural/urban areas, the white deer population has increased dramatically, leading deer to damage crops, fruit trees and ornamental plantings. Deer are herbivores, and will graze on a wide range of plant material including leaves, buds and stems of woody plants, agricultural crops, fruits and grasses. Because deer do not have upper incisors, they cannot bite through plant tissue but must tear or jerk plants, leaving telltale ragged ends on stems and leaves. Other signs of deer activity include distinctive tracks, droppings and the height of plant damage, which can be up to 6 feet. These signs will rule out most other animal pests. There are many control strategies that you can employ to discourage deer, including selective planting, repellents and fencing. Specific information is available from UF/IFAS in the publication “Florida’s White-tailed Deer” which is available online.

While rabbits are adorable little creatures, they can wreak havoc on your landscape. Rabbits generally feed at night, and their damage is easy to identify. Their strong teeth result in a clean cut rather than the jagged tears that other animal pests might produce. I have had small shrubs practically mowed down overnight, with the adjacent ground littered with cleanly cut branches as if someone had snipped them with scissors. Other telltale signs of rabbit presence include digging, tufts of hair and small pea-sized droppings scattered throughout the garden. To control rabbits, you can try repellents or chicken wire fencing. Information on controlling rabbits can be found in the UF/IFAS series: “Managing Nuisance Wildlife in Your Yard.”

Iguanas can cause serious damage to landscapes, consuming plant foliage, flowers and fruit and even damaging hardscapes. They leave telltale feces scattered in areas where they bask in the sun and can also dig burrows under plants and structures. Iguanas’ favorite plants include squashes, melons, mangos and hibiscus. You can protect your plants with cages or enclosures, and by growing plants that iguanas dislike, such as milkweed, citrus and oleander. UF/IFAS provides guidelines for capture and removal on their website.

And finally, for a bit of whimsy, I’ve recently learned of two other types of four-legged plant pests – or should I say “pets?” Two friends who have recently added hybrid tropical hibiscus to their gardens noticed that buds that were just about to open were being nibbled; they blamed rabbits for the damage. But the little pests were soon caught in the act – Lily the cat, and Kirby James the French Bulldog. They can’t seem to resist the beautiful flowers – thank goodness they aren’t toxic!

Cathy Dunn is a Lee County Master Gardener Volunteer and a member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral. Visit us at www.gardenclubofcapecoral.com.