Denman Island has a substantial population of Coastal Blacktail Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus, guestimated to number 1000 animals on 5000 hectares. Hunting pressure is light. Deer browse is heavy. Below are some comparisons between Snowberry, Symphoricarpos albus,
bushes inside and outside my fenced garden.
The roadside is heavily browsed.
The bushes inside the fenced garden have been protected from deer for four summers.
They have shown steady recovery, but have not yet reached the height of some ‘Old Growth’ Snowberry bushes.
Those old growth bushes are growing in the shade of cherry and Douglas fir trees. Based on the history of the property they may be twenty-five years old. Their white Snowberries are considered poisonous, but are decorative in winter.
