If you’re an avid gardener, you may have pansies in your outdoor plant collection. Pansies (also known as violas) are beautiful flowers that add a touch of elegance to any garden or trellis. But do deer eat pansies?
The answer is yes – deer will eat pansies if they can. Deer are attracted to pansies because of their sweet aroma and the fact that they’re usually well-watered and fertilized.
Considering that a single deer can eat up to ten pounds of plants each day, you can see how deer eating pansies can really do some serious damage to these plants!
Why Do Deer Eat Pansies?
As we covered, deer will eat every part of pansies (shoots, leaves, flowers and all) 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 pansies check every box.
Deer can do some serious damage to a large amount of pansy 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 pansies contain water, sugar, protein, and nutrients, which makes them an ideal food source for deer.
And don’t think that newer pansy plants are safe either: deer actually prefer new growth because they’re more tender.
Additionally, deer will consume a wide variety of foods like pansies 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 pansies out or plant some, and wait to see what happens!
Are Pansies And Violas Deer Resistant?
Pansies are 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 pansy flowers and other plants.
Read on to learn more.
How Do I Keep Deer From Eating My Pansies?
There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re protecting pansies 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 Pansies Grow Back After Deer Eat Them?
Pansies are considered biennials, meaning that they grow leaves the first year, produce flowers the second year, then they die off.
They may only last one season in areas with very hot summers.
So it really depends on which year a deer eats your pansies if they’ll have a decent shot at growing back or not.
If a deer eats the pansy flowers before the end of the season, the flowers will usually produce more blooms since they’re saving energy that they normally would have spent seeding.
Do Deer Eat Pansies And Violas? Wrapping Things Up
So, do deer eat pansies and violas?
The answer is yes!
Deer will eat pansies and violas 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:
- Do deer eat wisteria?
- Are loropetalum deer resistant?
- Are sunpatiens deer resistant?
- Do deer eat hellebores?
- Do deer eat periwinkle?
- Do deer eat calibrachoa?
- Do deer eat trumpet vine?
- Do deer eat Oriental lilies?
- Do deer eat Virginia creeper?
- Do deer eat Asiatic lilies?
- Do deer eat morning glories?
- Do deer eat portulaca?
