Garter snakes are good for slug control

I received a catalog in the mail this week – another in the seemingly endless parade that arrives daily in our mailbox. I hate to think of the northern boreal forests being destroyed to create this unwanted junk mail – and make no mistake, they are. Anyway, before tossing it in the recycling box, I did take a minute to leaf through this one, called “Whatever Works,” and something hit me.

In addition to all the silly things that I couldn’t possibly ever need (such as a K-cup organizer) – HATE those expensive and wasteful coffee makers – there were six full pages dedicated to the eradication or repelling of any living creature that has  the misfortune to stumble into your house or yard.

Now I agree with getting rid of yucky house flies. Who wants those? But here’s a sample of the other things they sell:

• a mole trap that impales the creatures underground
• several things that scare away birds – I love birds!
• squirrel, dog and mole repellents

And here are a few samples of the ad copy:

“Solar-charged laser beam repels night predators:” accompanied by photos of a deer, a raccoon, a coyote and even an owl! Why would you want to get rid of owls?

Or how about this?

“Teach pesky squirrels to mind their own business with our harmless repellent.” I had no idea  squirrels were so nosy.

or this:

“Enjoy a pest-free yard year-round. Simply set the dial to the specific pest you want to repel and this cordless repeller rids your property of cats, dogs, skunks, rodents, deer and more.”

And there’s another weapon in the pest control arsenal: the infrared motion sensor! This one repels deer, raccoons, squirrels coyotes  — whatever you don’t want in your yard, it’ll take care of it, so rest easy, gardening friends.

Deer on our lawn a couple of summers ago

I know that we gardeners confront various pests and interlopers from time to time and that these animals, insects and reptiles can do some serious damage. But as we tend our little pieces of the earth, we are still part of the earth and as such, we have to be nice and share.

I don’t want to view my garden as a  kingdom under siege from hoards of barbarian invaders. I’d rather try and work with whatever’s around, and appreciate the most excellent pest control work done by owls and raccoons and coyotes, all of which do an outstanding job controlling rodents.

Maybe we should just learn to chill.