What type of animal did this - flower damage

[oldfella1962]

I go outside this morning and all my young sunflower plants had the tops missing. The plants DID NOT have flowers yet! They were not tall enough - they are dwarf sunflowers in planters, and the tender tops - not flowers, just tender areas of new leaf growth - were chewed off.
The planters the sunflowers were grown in WERE NOT knocked over. The sunflower plants were about 12 -18 inches tall measuring from the top of the gravel mulch in the containers. I have a variety of flowers (impatiens, petunias, etc) with flowers currently blooming in the yard, and none of these flowers were even touched. From these pictures, what is the most likely culprit? Deer, rabbits, squirrels, or what?

 

[Milkman]

Deer love sunflowers

 

[Nicodemus]

When a squirrel or rabbit bites off any vegetation the bite is clean. Like it was cut with a razor blade. When a deer bites, the cut will be more ragged and there will usually be a "string" of the stem left on the plant. That`s because a deer has a tough pad in the top of the mouth at the front and small teeth in the front of the bottom jaw. When deer bite, they clamp whatever they are biting off between pad and teeth and pull it apart, more so than just biting.

 

[oldfella1962]

Deer love sunflowers

Thanks, but there were no actual flowers blooming yet. They just bit/chewed the tender new plant growth. That said, would deer still be the likely culprit?

 

[earlthegoat2]

Thanks, but there were no actual flowers blooming yet. They just bit/chewed the tender new plant growth. That said, would deer still be the likely culprit?

Yes

 

[oldfella1962]

When a squirrel or rabbit bites off any vegetation the bite is clean. Like it was cut with a razor blade. When a deer bites, the cut will be more ragged and there will usually be a "string" of the stem left on the plant. That`s because a deer has a tough pad in the top of the mouth at the front and small teeth in the front of the bottom jaw. When deer bite, they clamp whatever they are biting off between pad and teeth and pull it apart, more so than just biting.

Thanks! My pics weren't quite in focus, but the tips were cut cleanly. I also think deer would have knocked the planters over while tearing the tops off.
But wouldn't rabbits break the actual plant stems off while leaning against the plants biting the tips off? I guess rabbits or squirrels are the most likely culprits.

Follow-up question: will the plants continue to grow from the chewed off spot and eventually produce flowers? Should I toss the plants away now or let them grow (bringing them in at night since they are in portable planters)?

 

[Ruger#3]

Rabbits can stand on their haunches and eat the succulent tops of plants.

 

[DannyW]

I think deer are the more likely suspect, but having said that, last year I watched a rabbit at Home Depot eat about $100 of flowers they had stored outside the fenced in area on a pallet. He was doing it like in Ruger's photo, getting the tops maybe 16" off the pavement.

 

[oldfella1962]

Rabbits can stand on their haunches and eat the succulent tops of plants.View attachment 1230273

Yep, going with rabbits as the most likely suspect:
1) it was done at night - I see a lot of rabbits running around at night, but not squirrels
2) squirrels are sometimes in my back yard, but never in the front yard, where these sunflowers are
3) rabbits are occasionally in my front yard - often at night
4) deer are only very seldom seen in my front yard - maybe once or twice in 18 years of living here

 

[Toliver]

I know you have an extra trail cam lying around. Let's get some photographic proof before unjustly accusing the rabbits. Although between rabbits and deer I can't think of what else would be eating at night and clip the top of a plant like that.

 

[Yelpu1]

I would put my money on deer. Black Oil sunflowers are done once you lose the main stem, dwarf are probably the same.

 

[madsam]

wabbit my op....

 

[hopper]

Deer always get my plants before bloom. Gotta couple ground hogs that eat stuff to.

 

[Milkman]

A friend lost 5 acres of sunflowers to deer last year.

 

[oldfella1962]

I know you have an extra trail cam lying around. Let's get some photographic proof before unjustly accusing the rabbits. Although between rabbits and deer I can't think of what else would be eating at night and clip the top of a plant like that.

No I don't use trail cameras.

 

[oldfella1962]

I would put my money on deer. Black Oil sunflowers are done once you lose the main stem, dwarf are probably the same.

I just lost the very tip of the main stem where the newest growth is. Would that still doom the plant?

 

[bfriendly]

I think it was a deer as well….my hastas have already gotten hit. Deer love the newest growth and the sunflowers never needed seeds for the deer to eat.

 

[Throwback]

I’ve had deer eat the tops out of young planted lines too

 

[Milkman]

I’ve had deer eat the tops out of young planted lines too

I had a lease with Catawba Timber Co. back in the 80s. I got a letter from them asking that we try to kill our limit of deer due to deer killing young pines like this.

 

[WishboneW]

Rabbits are tasty