If you’re like most gardeners, you probably have some English ivy in your yard. English ivy are beautiful vines that add a touch of elegance to any garden. But do deer eat English ivy?
The answer is yes – deer will eat English ivy vines and blooms. Deer love English ivy because they’re usually well-watered, fertilized, and are tasty to them.
Considering that a single deer can eat several pounds of plants each day, you can see how deer eating English ivy vines can really do some serious damage to your garden!
In this article, we’ll discuss how to stop deer from eating your English ivy and why they eat them in the first place.
Why Do Deer Eat English Ivy?
As we covered, deer will eat every part of English ivy (vine, leaves, blossoms, and all) when they’ve got the chance.
But why do they do this?
Deer like lush plants that are well-watered and fertilized, and English ivy check every box.
They also have sweet leaves which are very palatable to deer, and English ivy are easy on a deer’s digestive system.
The smell of English ivy is also very enticing to deer, and it doesn’t have any natural predators so it’s rather plentiful.
Deer can do some serious damage to a large amount of English ivy vines in a single sitting if they’re hungry enough!
This was confirmed in a 1999 study on deer plant eating habits by Cornell University.
Flowers like English ivy contain water, sugar, and nutrients, which makes them an ideal food source for deer.
And don’t think that your newer English ivy vines are safe either: deer actually prefer new growth because they’re more tender.
Additionally, deer will consume a wide variety of foods like English ivy based on opportunity.
They usually grow from the ground up onto trellises, so they’re easy for deer to access.
In fact, some folks specifically put English ivy vines around their food plots to attract deer.
If you’re not convinced, plant some English ivy and wait to see what happens!
How Do I Keep Deer From Eating My English ivy?
There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re protecting English ivy 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 My English Ivy Vines Grow Back After Deer Eat Them?
Fortunately, English ivy can handle being eaten down a bit by deer in winter..
If deer happen to munch down your English ivy, continue regular care of your English ivy plants including watering until they’re back to good health.
You shouldn’t need to fertilize your English ivy to restore it after it’s been eaten by deer.
Are English Ivy Plants Good For Deer?
There are no nutritional studies or facts available on English ivy in terms of vitamins and nutrients that it contains.
However, English ivy is typically used for improving lung function and as an antioxidant, and it is believed that these benefits may translate to deer eating English ivy as well.
Do Deer Eat English ivy? Wrapping Things Up
So, do deer eat English ivy?
The answer is yes!
Deer will eat as much english ivy vines as they can, especially in winter.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to keep them away like using fences, motion-activated devices, or reducing the enticing scent that your English ivy give off to ward off deer from eating them.
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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