While 2024 may technically be the Year of the Dragon, up at the Community Garden on Good Counsel Hill, it feels more like the Year of the Rabbit.

Rabbits seem to have taken over the Community Garden this summer, prompting gardeners to put up fencing around their individual plots to keep the voracious herbivores at bay.  From nests of babies (see photo) to the big fellas who seem to be bent on eating all the greens they can get their adorable paws on, this year is rife with rabbits.

"They ate all our beans!" said LEC Program Manager Cora Uiygue, speaking of the beans the MY Place kids had planted in their garden plot.  "We're going to have to put up a fence to keep them out before we replant," she said.

Putting up a fence seems to be the best way to protect your veggies from the hungry bunnies.  Sprinkling plants with baby powder, planting a perimeter of marigolds, or marking the perimeter of your plot with coyote urine (which can be purchased at hunting stores) are other humane ways to deter rabbits, according to the Nebraska Wildlife Rehab's website.  The site also assures gardeners fretting about finding a nest of bunnies in or near their plot: "Bunnies born in a lawn or garden will not remain there as adults. The young will disperse within a few short weeks," it states.  It is never a humane solution to live-trap and relocate any wildlife.

While they may be frustrating, it is important to remember that the bunnies are just trying to survive.  To quote Nebraska Wildlife Rehab's website, "It's a tough life for wildlife. Please remember that, and have compassion when they cause you some inconvenience in their simple efforts to survive."