Just recently on a Monday morning Diane Vanella, our gardens Horticulturist, was checking things out in the new Japanese Maple Garden, when horror struck her eyes!! The maple in front of her had the bark peeled off and all around the young tree were pieces of bark on the ground. What could have done this act of destruction?? Then as she approached the other trees, she continued to see this stripping of bark. At this point Diane called on Ethel Boykin, MBG Horticulturist and founder, for discussion as what do we do next. Diane had other commitments that day so she had to leave the scene of the crime. Ethel went and purchased tree wrap and a squirrel repellent spray and headed to the Maples. Joining her in the wrapping procedure was volunteer Mary Alma Neeley. The two of them got busy trying to protect the trees from further damage. Cathy Maddox showed up and gave a hand and we completed the wrapping and spraying.
We did realize it was squirrels that had caused the damage, but WHY?? Everyone began searching for answers, but initially we found no explanation to why? To say we all were sick over this is an understatement. These trees were a gift from Lee Moore who had grown them for years and helped with the planting of them on the coldest day we had this winter. This was half of the amount of trees to be included. When the Japanese Maple Garden is complete there will be over 50 specimens donated by Mr. Moore and planted. Phase 2 of the Japanese Maple planting will be done this next year.
We continued seeking answers to this puzzling question and finally Google produced the information.
SEARCHED: Why do squirrels strip the bark on Japanese Maple trees?
ANSWERS:
- Squirrels strip the bark of Japanese Maple trees to access the sweet, nutrient-rich phloem tissue located directly beneath the bark.
- Squirrels don’t actually eat the bark; they strip away the top layer to get to the sweet, phloem tissue underneath. Bark stripping occurs most frequently in early summer. It can kill trees outright or make them susceptible to insect infestation or fungal pathogens.
- Squirrels rarely eat maple tree parts, but they love to “prune back”the new growth. They use both the bark and the small twigs to build their nests. Squirrels may also use maple twigs and bark as chew toys. Their teeth need constant maintenance to keep them from growing too long, so this means they need to chew on things regularly. If other food isn’t readily available, squirrels may peel back the outer bark and eat bits of the inner bark. They may also eat the buds, leaves, and samaras (seed pods) depending on how hungry they are.
- Japanese maples seem to be the most popular species among the squirrel population. This is one of the smaller varieties of maple and, if too many squirrels invade the tree, it could easily be killed though having too much bark stripped away or too much new growth pruned back.
NATURE can be cruel at times, and this was one of them. Hopefully our experience will help you recognize and/or prevent damage to trees in your own landscape. Now some hope is there for a few of the trees of which the squirrels did not strip the entire trunk, but the outlook is not great.
However, the kindness of this donor is just unbelievable, as he plans to replace what the squirrels murdered! When you think the world has so much wrong going on then you experience this type of kindness, it refreshes you.
We hope you come and see the Japanese Maples and watch what occurs at Montgomery Botanical Gardens at Oak Park through every season, open every day for you to enjoy nature. If you see a squirrel, please take them home with you! 😉
Planting and Praying,
Ethel Boykin
