A list of common natural foods eaten by southern white-tailed deer in Spring
By Matt Ross, Whitetail Stewards, Inc.
- Curly mesquite (Hilaria belangeri)
- Texas wintergrass (Stipa leucotrichia)
- Rescuegrass (Bromus willdenowii)
- Ozarkgrass (Limnodea arkansana)
- Buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides)
- Broad leaf uniola (Uniola latifolia)
- Broom sedge (Andropogon virginicus)
- Velvet grass (Nothoholcus lanatus)
- Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense)
- Verbena (Verbena spp.)
- Plantagos (Plantago spp.)
- Croton (Croton texensis)
- Leavenworth vetch (Vicia leavenworthii)
- Western bitterweed (Hymenoxys odorata)
- Purslanes (Portulaca spp.)
- Wild lettuce (Lactuca canadensis)
- Indian cucumber root (Medeola virginiana)
- Cinquefoil (Potentilla spp.)
- Common pokeberry (Phytolacca americana)
- Persimmon (Dyospyros virginiana)
- Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
- Flowering spurge (Euphorbia corollata)
- Rusty blackhaw viburnum (Viburnum rufidulum)
- Rose (Rosa spp.)
- Common pricklypear (Opuntia humifusa)
- Plateau oak (Quercus virginana)
- Shin oak (Q. havardii)
- Elbowbush (Foresteria pubescens)
- Elm (Ulmus spp.)
It's important to note that scientific evidence has recorded the consumption of well over 700 species of plants nationwide by white-tailed deer, and the above regional lists only represent some of the preferred species; consumption of each item varies with soil type, timber stand condition, and land use, and may only comprise a small portion of any individual deer's diet. The amount of plant utilization depends on its regional availability, the preference of the deer in that particular area, and the types and availability of other foods.
Click to return to Seasonal habitat requirements of southern white-tailed deer - Whitetail Stewards, Inc.
|
