We've hardly had any rain. But the plants have been mostly OK. I water regularly, not too much but do additional deep watering from time to time. Still, suddenly, some newly installed plants were in trouble. Ah, I said, they were used to daily watering in the store, now they have to adjust to 2-3 x/week, they will be fine with a bucket extra now and then. But one by one they declined. Ah, I said, as one wilted daily, maybe I did a poor job of planting this one, maybe there is a gap where the dirt was not filled in. Sticking a shovel alongside, yes, by golly, there is a void there. Out comes a small copperhead snake. Oh my, did the snake make this void or just find it? I fill in a quart of soil. A few days later, I find that the void has returned and it takes more soil. Then I go on vacation for 2 weeks. I return to find that shrub dead, and three others that were fine then are nearly dead. Each has hollow spaces alongside. Now I get a clue.

Taking a stick I start poking along the plants. Tunnels lead from one shrub to the next, just below the surface, bigger than a quarter. The gorund that was so soft, I thought the leaf litter mulch was improving the soil -- no, that was just how many tunnels were in the beds there. Suddenly those shallow holes behind the pool that I attributed to raccoons digging for grubs seem to be exit holes with temporary plugs at the end to keep out snakes. Voles. Or maybe moles or gophers or shrews. But the damaged roots point to voles.

Suddenly the extensive damage over the past few years from drought and freeze is combined with major root stress from chewing voles and it is a wonder anything is alive in the whole yard. All those flats of begonias that never thrived, too dry under the oak I thought. All the holes in the garden were blamed on the raccoons, the neighbors trapped and took away the raccoons and now the vole population has exploded. I suspect the raccoons were digging for voles. Now I miss that dreadful feral cat that finally got hit by a car. She probably hunted voles too.

Just a heads up, for those of you in the area. In case this is not just in my backyard that this is occuring.

Update; my county extension service person tells me that we do not have voles here. That it is pocket gophers. Guess that is good, probably one or a family of gophers rather than dozens of voles. Tunnels are shallow since dry ground is so hard, easier to dig where the sprinklers keep it easy to dig in and tunnels stay together.

Anona...what you need is a Wrigley and Sgt. Tibbs. Took care of our Vole problem in a matter of weeks. Wrigley is our 103 lb Newfie, Golden Retriever, border collie mix. She digs the holes out when she senses that the Voles are there. She digs them big enough for Sgt Tibbs our 10 year old Tabby cat to get in there up to his back legs and bring the Vole out. The best part is watching the two of them play with it until ineveitably...Wrigley puts her big paw on the little guy and that is that. Tibbs then brings it to the back door where one of us has to throw it away?

I rent them by the hour!!!

I'd rent them for sure, but shipping to Texas will be pricey!

Yep...the dog wouldn't mind...but the cat...is well...a CAT.

Trap em. It really isn' t hard. Check out Trapline Products.

Do you have any speakers outside or even better any on the ground like rock speakers or omni style speakers? Reason I ask is when not in use you can play a high frequency tone they can hear but we can't. It will run them off until they find a new place to burrow. I know it sounds crazy but it works.

I have a sonic thing that I used to run off the raccoon under the porch. Unfortunately I CAN hear it and even after it was off, even now, I can still hear it. I think it damaged my ears.

I will consider trying that. With this terrible drought I suspect that they will move back ASAP. And I am still not certain if it is voles or gophers. Different bait for each but neither has been taken. Every few days I go out to stomp around my plants to crush the tunnels and fill in underneath when I find hollows under the plants.

I work in music production so I have the tools to make track for you with the right frequency where you shouldn't be able to hear it. Where in Texas are you?