Learning something new every day the hard way

Since the madrone wiped out my car we’ve been working through the claims process. Meanwhile the cut up branches are still laying beside the driveway.

This situation has given us the opportunity to learn that deer love madrone leaves. The other night we came home to a herd doing some hard core snacking. Their eyes shined back at us, but they weren’t about to leave the driveway so we could get in. I had to get out and circle around in back of them and shoo them on their way.

As madrones leaves are always rather high, I’d never seen deer eat them before. Perhaps this partly explains why people say madrones are very hard to grow. Maybe ecstatic deer nibble the seedlings to nubs before they get a chance.