Sunday, June 10, 2012

Beaver Wars

Bear with me...
I'll get to the creative part of this post in a minute.

We have an ongoing war going on on our property.
A war with beavers!
Actually, my husband has a war going on with beavers. 

We live on a 20 acre lake and have several creeks on our property that feed the lake.
Every winter the beavers start chopping down our trees and damming up our creeks.
These pictures were taken back in January...

This is a beaver dam...

This is my husband preparing for battle...

Let the war begin...

Tearing out the beaver dam...


Ah...the sound of rushing water...


They really are fascinating creatures! They can take down multiple trees and build a dam overnight!

On this particular day, my husband pulled out two 16 foot long boards that the beavers drug from the neighbors yard and put in their dam!

Eventually the war is over!
Beaver builds dam.
Man tears out dam.
Beaver rebuilds dam overnight.
Man tears out dam... again.
Beaver rebuilds dam overnight... again.
And so on and so on.
Then beaver moves on to aggravate someone else.

On the bright side, the beaver leaves behind lots of cool sticks.
So, when life hands you beavers, make a trellis...

(Now for the creative part...)

I arranged some of the sticks on the ground and my husband screwed them together.


We put our beaver stick trellis where I had planted a clematis.



We have a lot more sticks to use for other projects...
I'm thinking, arbor!

Here's another beaver stick I used to hang a window from...

I laid the stick across 2 shepherd hooks and screwed 2 hooks in to it to go through 2 eye hooks I put in the top of an old window. I love how it looks hanging in my zinnia garden!

For now, we have a little reprieve from the beavers, but in about 5 months it'll be war again!



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Linking To: 
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28 comments:

  1. We had beaver wars when we lived in Montana! Never won!! I love your beautiful window and hanging it from the shepards hooks...genius!!

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  2. Nice trellis! I love visiting beaver ponds in the area. the only problem is, as you know, when they leave - they leave a real mess. I'm impressed by your husband's perseverance!

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  3. This is so funny! Love how you made it work for you though with your trellis and window hanger! Your zinnias (my favorite flower that I can't grow to save my life!) are stunning!

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  4. What a cute garden trellis. It looks fantastic.

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  5. Very nice, please link it up with me today at Wow Us Wednesday. Following you on linky followers :)

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  6. Very cute stick art! Love the window hung amongst the zinnias! That's a great picture in itself! Love the story about the beavers! Looks like they are tiny terrors!

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  7. Ah, beaver art. I love it! When you get bored at your house, just head on down to mine and you can have free reign! Love Kevin's beaver huntin' duds. :)

    Love you guys!

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  8. I find your battle to be an absolutely amazing story.... I can't imagine! I thought my ongoing war with raccoons and skunks was bad but I guess you've got us beat! By the way after many years, I finally won... thanks to a product called Nite Guard... the downside is that it looks like we live on an airport runway with the flashing laser lights that surround my two acres of gardens! Larry

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  9. I've been thinking I'd made a trellis out the limbs that came off our tree during a storm--you've inspired me to make something positive out of a negative. . .Thanks!

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  10. Love your trellis and your garden. Lookds great. I saw you on Fishtail Garden.

    Cynthia

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  11. What a great idea! I love the trellis and the hanging windows. Thanks to the beavers! I'm visiting from Fishtale Cottage.

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  12. This trellis is beautiful! WOW this is sure some kinda war with you and those Beavers! lol deidre~ http://simplysimplisticated4.blogspot.com

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  13. Beaver Wars....funny how i would not have thought of any downsides to living where there is a lake, stream or river! Such a dreamy idea to me! i adore what you did with the creations the beavers leave behind! that trellis for the clamatis is perfect! xoox, tracie

    ps - thank for sharing this post over here at the garden party!

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  14. Excellent creativity using the beavers' leftovers! I'll never forget walking through our property in northern B.C. & viewing the forest after the beavers had gnawed their way through it! With sharp-pointed trunks of trees standing up everywhere, it definitely looked like a war zone!

    Love your trellis & clemantis -- gorgeous. Good Luck with the beavers.
    dawnedesign.net

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  15. That's right: if you can't beat them, join 'em!! Way to make it work. Thanks so much for linking up at I Gotta Create!
    <3 Christina

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  16. You yard is beyond lovely! The flowers almost look like candies. So pretty. Thanks so much for sharing at Etcetorize this week!

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  17. I enJOYed this interesting post very much. As aggravating as the Beavers were, its almost like they left you gifts of posts & sticks that don't have to be trimmed. You are so creative.

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  18. What a great way of turning. Bad situation into something good and beautiful! Great job!

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  19. I agree with Vel above. What an excellent way of transforming a hassle into something useful and beautiful. Couldn't help feeling a little sorry for the beavers though:-) Thanks for linking this up at Seasonal Celebration Sunday- great post!

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  20. I love the window in your garden. Good luck w/ the beavers-around here we just have bugs:)

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  21. Super cute! Love repurposing sticks too! ;)

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  22. I love your trellis and the lovely flowering vine! thanks for sharing, Virginia and have a fab weekend!

    Hugs,
    Lelanie

    to-sew-with-love.com
    tocookwithlove.com
    villaportillo.blogspot.com

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  23. Wow, that's awesome! Loved your commentary too. :) Glad you finally won the war. (Can't believe the drug boards from the neighbor to their liar! haha!)

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