bandicoot
Dear Ciara,
It seems I have worked my magic too well. When I first moved into our new property, I spent the first month or so establishing a wildlife garden in the front yard. I planted a mix of natives and exotics under the rambutan trees in an effort to attract pollinators and beneficial birds. And it worked: a variety of butterflies and birds now frequent the garden, ranging from cuckooshrikes to sunbirds to Ulysses butterflies. What I didn’t intend on attracting, however, is our newest resident. Part of me is blessed to have come to know him, but another part of me secretly wants to launch the creature 70 metres into the sky. Don’t tell any wildlife enthusiasts I said that.
I’m talking about the bandicoot.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, bandicoots are a group of about 20 species of small to medium-sized marsupials. They look somewhat like rodents but have a distinguishable nose that functions sort of like a proboscis. Up here, the main species that we see is the Northern Brown Bandicoot. They’re not overly common in suburbia, so a part of me is a bit chuffed to have one in my garden. Here is a picture for reference (not from my garden, he is too elusive):
I admit, he’s quite funny to watch, digging around in the mulch and then using his nose to search for grubs. Many gardeners report them being a beneficial helper in the garden too; they help to aerate the soil and eat grubs that chew at the roots of plants. But my resident bandicoot has recently discovered my freshly-mulched garden beds out back. You know, the ones filled with tender seedlings still putting down their roots. And he has gone wild—absolutely wild.
Every morning I awake to chaos. Garden beds dug up, seedlings flung about or crushed. So far, I’ve lost a couple of chilli plants and a decently sized okra, which the bandicoot managed to snap in half. At first, I was able to laugh it off. Now, I am starting to lose my mind.
The Organist asked around and was told that strong smelling manure might help to deter them. I already had some chicken manure lying around, so I spent yesterday morning putting this down instead of getting ready for work. Unfortunately, I woke again this morning to devastation. I will have to try something else. My other options are to fence the beds (which would be a pain and cost more than I would like to spend at this time) or to try other deterrents like lights and/or those fake owls you can get from Bunnings. I plan to stop by Bunnings on Thursday to see what I can do.
So, that is the situation. I will keep you updated as to my interactions with this mischievous marsupial.
The song for today is:
SS26 — Charli XCX
I can’t get this song out of my head. Doesn’t help that I keep listening to it on repeat while I mourn the losses in my garden as a result of Mr. Bandicoot.
Love,
The Gardener