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The non-ripening blueberry mystery solved

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  #1  
Old 08/18/13, 10:29 AM
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The non-ripening blueberry mystery solved
I have a bunch of blueberry bushes- about 7 years old but still not too big as I moved then a couple of years ago. But they have been loaded with blueberries.
About 3 weeks ago they started doing something strange. The berries stopped ripening. Bushes have loads of berries but only a few seem to ripen each day. Strange.
Then this morning I was watching a mother fox with her two cubs wander through the garden. Suddenly mom slipped throught the bird netting cage over the blueberries and started to eat the ripe berries.
My neighbor had told me of seeing a fox in his apple tree eating ripe apples. Just didn't occur to me that they would be so slick after the blueberries too.
I miss my dog.............
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  #2  
Old 08/18/13, 12:21 PM
 
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Location: Tennessee
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I too was wondering why I wasn't getting as many ripe berries as I thought I should. Started watching the blueberry patch and my gracious I never saw so many and such a variety of birds eating the berries. Even a red-headed woodpecker. Birds must communicate the news of easy pickings somehow. No fox problems yet.
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  #3  
Old 08/18/13, 12:56 PM
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Lol! This reminds me of the time I was strongly suspecting my neighbor of stealing my tomatoes. Everytime one was almost ready to pick it would disappear. I didn't mind the first few, but they all disappeared without a trace. I was just about going to confront my neighbor when I caught my dog in the act of eating one after another of the red tomatoes! My own dog! Who'd have thought.

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  #4  
Old 08/18/13, 05:00 PM
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Did you ever see two ducks stand on tippy toe to get to ripe tomatoes? I ought to take a picture.
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  #5  
Old 08/18/13, 05:02 PM
 
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I caught my Rottweiler eating all my raspberries. Boy she was sneaky!
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  #6  
Old 08/18/13, 07:42 PM
 
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I caught my golden retriever eating raspberries off of the bushes.
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  #7  
Old 08/18/13, 10:24 PM
 
Join Date: May 2011
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Has a Rot/Lab that made me change from welded wire to chain link around the garden. She took a liking to green tomatoes, and would bite the welds loose, stick her head then shoulders through, then walk in to take ONE bite from every tomato.
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  #8  
Old 08/18/13, 11:54 PM
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My mother had her 3 huge blueberries netted for birds; my brother is an aerospace engineer so did some great work on the project. But our dog, Sam, figured out how to get in and eat the low ones. Mom, who was in reality his owner and master because she fed and catered to him, was a non practicing attorney yet never could win the argument with why those blue things were not his. (He did hide his head shamefully when she scolded but only played into her heart.) We did get the ones he couldn't reach so it all worked out I guess.
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  #9  
Old 08/19/13, 12:12 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by where I want to View Post
I have a bunch of blueberry bushes- about 7 years old but still not too big as I moved then a couple of years ago. But they have been loaded with blueberries.
About 3 weeks ago they started doing something strange. The berries stopped ripening. Bushes have loads of berries but only a few seem to ripen each day. Strange.
Then this morning I was watching a mother fox with her two cubs wander through the garden. Suddenly mom slipped throught the bird netting cage over the blueberries and started to eat the ripe berries.
My neighbor had told me of seeing a fox in his apple tree eating ripe apples. Just didn't occur to me that they would be so slick after the blueberries too.
I miss my dog.............
That is an awesome story ...
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  #10  
Old 08/19/13, 08:43 AM
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Animals know what is good! Had a sheltie once who picked all the apples off the low hanging branches in the back yard. Wouldn't have believed it if we didn't see him doing it.
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  #11  
Old 08/19/13, 09:11 AM
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I had a Brittany Spaniel who ate plums off the tree.
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  #12  
Old 08/19/13, 09:39 AM
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
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Dachshund Heidi would swipe the low lying lemons off the lemon tree. It was so funny to watch her bite into them, make a funny face, shake her head, then continue. Her little sister Cindy would help Heidi sneak the strawberries.

Lax mix Maggie helps herself to lemon cucumbers, strawberries, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, anything she can reach, she nabs.
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  #13  
Old 08/19/13, 11:31 AM
nobody
  
Join Date: Jun 2012
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I've got frequent visits from a mother bear and cub that have raided our wild blackberries and made a buffet out of the garbage cans, lol.
Between them and the deer I'm keeping track of their eating as an IOU on some of MY future meals!
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