Adorable deer called one of the greatest threats to ecosystem

I knew as soon as I saw her that she would jump in front of my car, and I’m convinced it was because she wanted to make sure I was fully stopped. This doe, like most in my neighborhood, seem to be wise to the ways of cars, and if they jump out at the last minute it’s because, at this time of the year, they have a fawn in tow. And sure enough, a spotted fawn high-stepping with legs long enough to make a supermodel envious followed dutifully behind.

Such interactions always come with mixed emotions for gardeners. There’s the initial “aww” at the utter cuteness of that adorable fawn quickly followed by the knowledge that there’s a good chance it will be voraciously eating your garden in just a matter of days.

This time of year is one of the worst for garden damage caused by deer grazing because hungry, growing fawns have no knowledge of what plants taste good, so they taste them all. And when they do refine their palettes, they will decimate plants they favor.

It’s infuriating for homeowners who watch their landscaping investment disappear in one bad night. But the problem with deer is much more serious than lost shrubbery. Just ask one of the foremost experts on ecology, Doug Tallamy.

Tallamy, an entomologist, ecologist and conservationist who is a professor at the University of Delaware and author of several books, minces no words about deer. They are one of the greatest threats to our ecosystem, perhaps one even greater than climate change, he says.

For readers of Tallamy’s popular books, including the newly released “How Can I Help? Saving Nature with Your Yard,” it will be no surprise that he says the ecological threat of the overpopulation of deer is to blame for the rapidly diminishing quantity of native plants, which are the cornerstone of the food web that the ecosystem relies on. Invasive plants are generally poor at supporting local insects and do not have natural predators here. 

“It’s the interaction — between overabundant deer and these non-native ornamentals that have escaped — that has created the terrible invasive species problem in our forests,” Tallamy said.

Generally speaking, deer are more likely to eat native plants than non-native invasives, and the overpopulation of deer means that native plants do not stand a chance of surviving. It’s not that invasive plants are “stronger” than natives, it’s that they are not eaten by deer.

Of course any discussion of deer

management must include the desires of hunters, who want a robust herd and are an important source of revenue for governments and businesses. But Tallamy points out that hunting is not allowed in places where deer populations are booming, such as suburban back yards. He advocates for year-round “market hunting” until the deer population is back in check.

And it’s not about saving homeowners the considerable expense and frustration of watching their yards be decimated in a single night by a marauding herd of deer; it’s about something much bigger, Tallamy says.

“If we don’t get a handle on this, life will not continue forever,” he said. “That’s the message nobody seems to internalize. You get ecosystem collapse.”