Allotments 4 All

There is no sign of damage to the leaves or stems but the flowers themselves are being nibbled away from the top.  I thought it might be birds but there are areas where the petal has been munched to half thickness. There are no bits of petal scattered around and the earth is detritus-free. I wouldn't mind if this only happened to the single flower daffs (which I don't like) but when it comes to those that look like the ruffles on a tart's knickers I tend to get annoyed! ;D

Any ideas?

It's slugs me dear,  They nibble a small hole when the bud is just starting to form and then it grows as the bud grows

Cheers

yet the flowers bloomed whole and lovey before disappearing in chunks, which confuses me.

I'm beginning to feel really dumb! :D ::)

I reckon it is slugs. Maybe a night search with a torch would confirm.

It could also be young snails.   >:(

G x

Have we all thought that this could be caused by wasps looking for their first meal of juicy plant life before moving onto the more nutritious bugs.

birds will peck at them and even chew them, it is the bright colours that attract them - squirrels as well

I would have said almost certain slugs some exhibitors put vaseline on the stems to prevent damage, I must admit I put a few slug pellets in my show beds to try and stop them. They seem to love the whites most but will have any colour. I once found a lot of small snails under the rim of a plastic bucket and they were having a feast from my blooms during the night.