If you’re an avid gardener, you may have morning glories in your outdoor plant collection. morning glories are beautiful flowering vines that add a touch of elegance to any garden or trellis. But do deer eat morning glories?
The answer is yes – deer will eat morning glories if they can. Deer are attracted to morning glories because of their sweet aroma and the fact that they’re usually well-watered and fertilized. Morning glory seeds are poisonous to deer but the vines and leaves are not.
Considering that a single deer can eat up to ten pounds of plants each day, you can see how deer eating morning glories can really do some serious damage to these plants!
Why Do Deer Eat Morning Glories?
As we covered, deer will eat every part of morning glories (except the poisonous seeds) when they’ve got the chance after emerging from a long winter when they’re the hungriest.
But why do they do this?
Deer like lush plants that are well-watered and fertilized, and morning glories check every box.
Deer can do some serious damage to a large amount of morning glory plants in a single sitting if they’re hungry enough!
This was confirmed in a 1999 study on deer plant eating habits by Cornell University.
Plants like morning glories contain water, sugar, protein, and nutrients, which makes them an ideal food source for deer.
And don’t think that newer morning glory plants are safe either: deer actually prefer new growth because they’re more tender.
Additionally, deer will consume a wide variety of foods like morning glories based on opportunity.
They’re planted in the ground and grow easily in many areas, so they’re easy for deer to access.
If you’re not convinced, leave some morning glories out or plant some, and wait to see what happens!
Are Morning Glories Deer Resistant?
Morning glories not regarded as deer resistant at all, thanks to their taste and scent, both of which deer love.
They were rated as “occasionally severely damaged” in a study on deer resistant plants by Rutgers University.
You should always take additional steps to deter deer from your morning glory flowers and other plants.
Read on to learn more.
How Do I Keep Deer From Eating My Morning Glories?
There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re protecting morning glories from hungry deer: their habits, your scent, repellent options, and when you plant them.
Deer will eat nearly anything if they’re hungry enough, so your main goal is making your garden as least inviting to deer as possible.
Check out our guide on how to keep deer from eating plants where we cover 25 quick and easy tips for keeping hungry deer out of your garden.
Will Morning Glories Grow Back After Deer Eat Them?
Morning glories are considered annuals, meaning that they die off after one year in most zones.
However, morning glories are pretty sufficient at reseeding themselves, so you’ll likely see them return each year.
They can withstand some browsing from deer around winter and early spring, but mainly if the deer only eat the vines back by one third to one half of the plant.
If a deer eats your morning glories down to the root then you may not be able to bring them back to life.
Do Deer Eat Morning Glories? Wrapping Things Up
So, do deer eat morning glories?
The answer is yes!
Deer will eat morning glories whenever they can, especially during spring when they’re hungry after a long winter and the buds, stems, and leaves are the most tender.
Have any observations to add to the discussion? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
Check our our other helpful wildlife guides while you’re here:
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- Do deer eat peonies?
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