Walked out to "watch garden"[1] and discovered the eggplants are all being molested! The other plants seem okay, so it's hopefully not the neighbors' kids, and is a critter that particularly likes eggplant leaves. And tops. And stems. The poor thing, see the pictures.
I just spent some time researching motion-activated cameras, have-a-heart traps, and gloves and here's what I'm planning to purchase. We're pretty sure it's a raccoon or other mammal; slugs or insects wouldn't tear the tops off!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0722L5TDF - camera
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004RAMT - trap
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N01M6LC - gloves
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014EYV66O - better camera
Please let me know if you have better ideas for resolution of this annoyance. Thanks! :)
[1] -- I've been listening to a lot of Jonathan Coulton recently; the wife and I bought a Bluetooth device for the car to play over the FM radio, and loaded up our phones with his catalog when we went away recently. In his song "Millionaire Girlfriend", he has the lines:
She's a stolen secret from a pirate's chest
I will wear an ascot and a suit that has a vest
And I will put it on as I watch gardener mow the lawn, Mmmmm
Huh! Note that I copied the lyrics from his site, and he knows what he wrote. :) Guess I've been hearing it wrong all these years! I thought it was "as I watch garden, and mow the lawn" and I thought it was a really neat turn of phrase, "watch garden", a behavior that is both passive (sitting back and watching) as well as active (removing pests, pruning, etc). Just now when I wanted to show the link for all y'all, it turns out there's no link, there's no catchy phrase, and I'm weird. :) Makes a lot more sense with "gardener" though, as the song is about the trappings of wealth. Perhaps I'll name the critter I catch "Wealth." :)
