Tag Archive for: javelina

Javelina in the Desert Garden

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Javelina stepping out of an arroyo

Javelina stepping out of an arroyo

Unwanted Guests: Dealing with Javelina in Your Desert Garden

Yesterday, I had a rather unexpected encounter with a javelina while taking pictures of a landscape. I think he was as surprised as I was to see him and he retreated back to his arroyo after a couple of minutes. That meeting inspired me to write this post and how they affect the desert garden – primarily what types of plants they like to eat.  

Javelina travel through arroyos (washes)

Javelina travel through arroyos (washes)

Javelina: The Surprising and Destructive Garden Visitors

To state that I was surprised to come so close to a javelina is an understatement. In the over twenty years that I’ve worked in desert gardens, I seldom see these pig-like mammals as they usually sleep through the day underneath mesquite or other desert trees.

Javelina resemblance to a boar but is really a peccary

Understanding Javelina and Their Habits

Often referred to as ‘wild pigs’ due to their resemblance to a boar, they aren’t pigs, but are a peccary, which is a medium-sized mammal with hooves. Javelina are found throughout the Southwest, but their range also extends to Central and South America. In urban settings, you’ll find them in more naturalized areas.

Javelina in the Desert Garden

Plants Javelina Love and Those They Leave Alone

They frequently travel in herds, although I only saw these two adults on this day. While it can be enjoyable to view them from afar (don’t get too close as they can be dangerous), dealing with the damage that they cause to gardens isn’t fun.

Javelina’s Dietary Preferences

Javelina love to eat the pretty things we plant in our desert landscapes such as flowering annuals, and they don’t stop there. The spines on your prized cactus won’t deter a hungry little animal – they go right in and munch on the base of a prized columnar cactus as well as the pads of prickly pear cactus.

When surveying the damage that they cause to the garden, what makes it worse, is that the pig-like critters frequently don’t eat what they dig up.

1. Petunias and flowering annuals are delicious

Plants on a golf course

My relationship with these wild animals is a long one. It began by working to keep them away from the thirty-six tee boxes that I had to plant with flowering annuals seasonally on a golf course. Not surprisingly, they were drawn to these colorful petunia and annual islands and would dislodge the plants by rooting them up with their snouts before eating them.

My crew and I had some mixed success with spraying squirrel repellent every few days on the petunias, but it was a lot of work and not foolproof.

2. Soft leaved plants are Javelina candy

geraniums and annuals in a container

Javelina will zero in on popular potted annuals such as pansies, petunias, snapdragons, which are like candy to them. While geraniums aren’t their favorite potted flower, they will eat them too if hungry enough. They prefer soft leaved plants.

If you want pretty containers filled with flowers and live in a neighborhood where javelina are present, you’ll need to place the pots in an enclosed area or courtyard where they can’t reach. 

3. Citrus and seed pods attract the desert peccary

citrus fruit

Depending on the time of year, a javelina’s diet changes, based on what is available. In winter, citrus they will grab citrus fruit off of the tree.

mesquite tree with pods

In summer, mesquite seedpods are one of their favorite foods.

4. Cactus of all kinds feed the peccary

A Cereus peruvianus cactus that has some bites taken out of its base by javelina

A Cereus peruvianus cactus that has some bites taken out of its base by javelina.

A fairly common sight is a columnar cactus with some bites taken out of its base. This can happen where packs of the animals are present. In most cases, the damage is largely cosmetic and the cactus will be fine. However, to prevent further damage, you can surround the base of the cactus with a wire mesh cage.

Prickly pear cactus is another plant which is devastated by the cactus loving desert dweller.

There are Few Javelina-Resistant Plants

Bacopa

Bacopa

Lavender

Lavender

There are some flowering plants that they usually stay away from. These include Bacopa and Lavender, which can be used in containers.

javelina near a golf course

Protecting Your Garden: Tips for Javelina-Resistant Plants and Fencing

While there is no guarantee that these animals won’t eat the plants in your desert garden from time to time. There are some plants that are less palatable to them than others. Here a helpful link for javelina resistant plants. I must tell you that if a a wild animal is hungry enough, it will eat the plants on this list – I know this from personal experience. 

The only foolproof way to keep them away from eating your plants is to keep them out with a fence or wall.

Share Your Experiences: Plants They Eat and Plants They Ignore

Do you have javelina where you live? What type of plants do you notice them eating? Any plants that they seem to leave alone?

Unique Garden Art Out and About

Do you have pieces of garden art in your outdoor space? I have a few pieces and am always on the lookout for unique examples of artwork to use in my garden.

The past few weeks, I saw some great examples while out and about that I would love to share with you.

Unique Garden Art

Unique Garden Art

You may have seen the popularity of large clocks being displayed indoors, but I would love this one hanging on my outdoor patio.

The clock face was made out of plywood, painted and textured with antique garden tools arranged around it.

Unique Garden Art

Who knew that old horseshoes could be used to make barrel cactus?

I must confess that at first, I didn’t know that these were made from horseshoes at first glance – but, I would certainly love one in my garden.

Unique Garden Art

Javelina may be the bane of many southwestern residents when they come and eat their plants.

However, I think that some people wouldn’t mind having this one hanging around.

Can you tell what it is made out of ?

An old palm tree root!

The roots were used to mimic the rough coat of a javelina.

Unique Garden Art

Lastly, rusted metal art is all the rage and you can find it in the shape of plants and animals.

I did love this group of jackrabbits and could just picture one sitting underneath my palo verde tree.

How about you?

Do you have any unique pieces of garden art? 

A Unique Nursery Nestled Under a Huge Tree

Face Off With Wild Pigs

Working on golf courses provided me with many opportunities to interact with our native wildlife.  Now, most of my interactions were welcome – roadrunners, jackrabbits,  even baby raccoons.  Some encounters were unexpected – snakes, tarantulas and coyotes.  But there was one animal with which I waged a constant battle…the Javelina, also know as the Wild Pig.

native wildlife

Javelina (Collard Peccary) Photo by Wing-Chi Poon

Now Javelina are not actually pigs, but are pig-like mammals that are native to the Southwestern region of the United States, ranging southwards into Central and South America.

Okay, first of all, you can smell them before you can see them.  There is no polite way to state this – they stink.  They travel in small herds and love to eat just about anything.  They can eat cactus out in the desert, but will ignore that in exchange for what is growing in your garden.

My personal battle with javelina was due to the fact that two of the golf courses I worked at had 36 tee boxes and each were planted with flowers.  In the summer, I would plant Lantana, which was beautiful and the Javelina did not touch.  But, in the winter, they loved to eat whatever type of annual flower I planted, leaving torn up plants and dirt as proof that they had been there.

native wildlife

Purple Petunias planted at the tee box.

Believe it or not, Petunias, Pansies and Geraniums are listed on the Javelina Resistant Plants list.  But, evidently, the Javelina did not read this list because they happily ate all of mine.

Now, I knew I had to do something besides replacing annuals up to three times a week.  The members of the golf courses wanted flowers and I was tired of making endless trips to the nursery in order to pick up replacement plants and it was eating into my budget.  So, I did some research. 

native wildlife

Pink Petunias with Eremophila ‘Valentine’ in the background.

Some people swore that putting shavings of “Irish Spring” soap would keep them away.  Others said that human hair would do the trick.  I honestly did not try any of these because I had seen them fail before.  But, there are some products that have had some limited success.  The first are coyote urine products that seems to help keep them away, (I didn’t want to try this one for obvious reasons).  The second is Liquid Fence, which must applied frequently and the third is Dr. T’s Squirrel Repellent.

I used Dr. T’s Squirrel Repellent with some success.  It did not eliminate the problem, but it did help decrease the amount of flowers being eaten by the Javelina.

*I did discover that the favorite thing the they would eat, was citrus fruit.  So in the winter, when citrus fruit was plentiful on the trees, the Javelina would mostly ignore my flowers.  In the summer, they would eat the seedpods from the Mesquite trees.

Geranium Flower

Geranium Flower

There are plants that Javelina are less likely to eat, but if they are hungry enough, they will eat anything.  For years, they never ate the Geraniums I had planted on the golf course.  But, one year, they came in and ate them all.  So, no plant is completely resistant to them.  The following link will send you to a list of plants that are somewhat resistant to Javelina  – be sure to cross out Petunia, Pansy and Geraniums off of the list ;-).

*Annuals that are usually resistant to Javelina include Euryops Daisy, Bacoba, Snapdragons as well as Fern Leaf Lavender.

So the outcome was that I did win some battles, but the Javelina ultimately won the war….

Thankfully, the planters were removed during a golf course renovation and now perennials are now planted in their place, which are ignored by the Javelina.  Unfortunately, this occurred after I had left….

Purple, Prickly and Beautiful: Santa-rita Prickly Pear

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santa rita purple prickly cactus

Exploring the Beauty of Prickly Cactus

Do you like prickly cactus? I have a few favorites, one being the Santa-Rita Prickly Pear (Opuntia violaceae var. santa rita). The color contrast of their blue-grey pads and the shades of purple are so striking in the landscape.

The Santa-Rita Prickly Pear: A Stunning Accent Plant

The Santa-Rita prickly pear is a captivating addition to any landscape. Its blue-grey pads and vibrant shades of purple create a visually striking contrast. Not only is this cactus aesthetically pleasing, but both its pads and fruit are edible (though you may want to remove the spines first). Cold temperatures and drought conditions intensify the vivid purple color of this remarkable cactus.

Native Plant Beauty of the Southwest

Native to the Southwestern regions of North America, the Santa-Rita prickly pear can reach impressive dimensions, growing as large as 6 feet by 6 feet. However, if you prefer a smaller size, careful pruning at the junction where the pads connect can maintain a more manageable shape.

prickly cactus in full bloom

Blossoms and Wildlife with Prickly Cactus

In spring, the Santa-Rita prickly pear graces the landscape with lovely yellow flowers that later give way to red fruit during the summer months. Keep in mind that javelina, rabbits, and pack rats are occasional visitors that might nibble on the pads, while pack rats ingeniously use the pads to build their homes.

Handle with Care: Dealing with Spines and Glochids

Prickly pear pads are covered with clusters of 2″ spines and tiny spines known as glochids. Glochids are especially irritating to the skin and easily detach from the pad, making them challenging to remove. When handling these prickly cacti, use multiple layers of newspaper or a piece of carpet to protect your hands. Avoid gloves, as glochids can render them useless.

Removing Glochids Caused by Prickly Cactus

If you encounter glochids with prickly cactus, there are different methods to remove them, including applying Elmer’s glue, allowing it to dry, and then peeling off the glochids. However, many find greater success using duct tape for a more efficient removal process.

close up of prickly cactus

Versatile Uses in Landscaping

Beyond being a landscape accent, the Santa-Rita prickly pear serves as an excellent screen. Surprisingly, it can thrive in containers as well, although it’s essential to keep them away from high-traffic areas. These resilient cacti flourish in full sun or light shade and well-drained soil.

Low-Maintenance Prickly Cactus Beauty

Santa-Rita prickly pears are incredibly low-maintenance plants. When pruning, use tongs or newspaper to handle the trimmed pads. While they are highly drought-tolerant, occasional watering during the hot summer months, especially in the absence of rain, can enhance their appearance. Shriveled pads signal acute drought stress, so a little extra water can work wonders.

santa rita prickly cactus disease

Addressing the Cottony Mystery on Prickly Cactus

Some might mistake white, cotton-like areas on the pads as a fungal infection, but it’s actually caused by a small insect known as cochineal scale. Removing this cottony mass is simple—just spray it off with a strong jet of water from the hose.

pad cactus purchased at garden center

Propagation: A Simple Guide

You can propagate Santa-Rita prickly pear cacti with ease. Simply cut off a pad that is at least 6 inches tall, let it callus upright in a shady, dry spot for about two weeks, and then plant it with the cut end down.

Plant with the cut end down, do not water for the first month because the bottom is susceptible to fungal infections. After the first month, water every 2 – 3 weeks until established. 

Timing Matters

Planting in the summer requires shade until the cactus is established (approximately three months). However, it’s often advisable to wait until spring when the soil warms up for planting, especially in regions with cold winters.

Renewed Growth: Pruning and Propagation

For those with established Santa-Rita prickly pear cacti, you can rejuvenate growth by pruning or starting anew. Simply remove the cactus, cut off some pads, and replant them in the same location. Many have embraced this method and have been delighted with the results.

An Interesting Historical Fact

The Aztecs would cultivate prickly pear cactus infected with cochineal scale because the insects secrete a dark red dye with crushed. This was used to dye cloth. The Spanish exported this dye from Mexico back to Europe where it was used to dye royal garments and British military uniforms. The dye was highly valued by the Spanish, next to gold and silver. It takes 70,000 insects to produce 1 pound of dye.

*This is but one of many beautiful prickly pear species available to the home gardener. Do you have a favorite species of prickly pear cactus?