Press "Enter" to skip to content

Mrs. Cottontail enjoys winecups

No, not that kind of winecup; this bunny lady discovered my bed of pretty Callirhoe involucrata, commonly called winecup or purple poppy mallow, and she has feasted on the them every night for several weeks, treating the bed like an all-you-can-eat salad bar. She nips off only the leaves and stems; she hasn’t touched the flowers. Winecups grow only 6 to 12 inches high, but the plants blend together to form thick green mats with cup-shaped purple or magenta flowers. Winecup is drought tolerant but not rabbit resistant. Bunnies are cute; no one can dispute that. With their plushy bodies, wiggly noses and silky ears, powder-puff tails and endearingly goofy faces, you just want to pick them up and hug them. Until they get into your garden; then you want them to go away. The Internet Center for Wildlife Information publication “Cottontail Rabbits” contains detailed information on wild rabbits. Of the nine species of cottontail rabbits found in North America and Mexico, the eastern cottontai...

To view the rest of this article, you must log in. If you do not have an account with us, please subscribe here.