"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message
. ..
Steve Latham said:

[snip]

In my experience, rabbits don't bother squash much except to eat the
flowers, sometimes.

Well, that's what I was thinking. Those leaves (and stems) are kind of
"spikey" - I quess they're "hairs" but they're pretty rigid, and for
instance make it uncomfortable on your forearms to reach in there.


But groundhogs will munch squash leaves down to stems. And they will
munch on the fruit.

Hmmm. Now that sounds like a potential culprit. One of the kids across the
street said they had a groundhog in their yard. I didn't believe him, but
maybe I should consider this.

Now, how do I keep a groundhog out?


Deer will go after squash plants, too.

We do have deer, but they're getting rare. Used to be country and fields and
is now suburban sprawl. Deer are rarely seen across the highway (where they
used to be prolific) so I'm leaning towards the GH.


Bugs and slugs will usually leave tattered, lacey leaves behind rather
than
complete anihilation of leaves.

That's what I was kind of thinking too. It didn't seem like insects to me -
though one never knows.

Thanks Pat.

Steve