If you live in Great Falls, McLean, Reston, Herndon, or anywhere in Fairfax County, there probably is a resident herd of white-tailed deer in your neighborhood. Some people like to see them grazing and meandering through their yards. Others put up fences to keep them out of their landscape. Deer are drawn to all kinds of landscape and garden plants. They destroy them in record time. A single adult deer consumes between 5-7 pounds of vegetation per day. That amounts to over a ton per year.
Grazing Odocoileus virginianus
Deer Resistant Plants
There are resources that rate plants according to how frequently they are damaged by deer. Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance rates plants in categories from rarely to severely damaged. The University of Virginia Blandy Experimental Farm lists deer resistant plants and shrubs common to Virginia. Of course, no plant is completely deer proof. If populations are running low on food sources, the result is anything becomes a food source.
General Facts
COMMON NAME: White-Tailed Deer
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Odocoileus virginianus
TYPE: Mammals
DIET: Herbivore
GROUP NAME: Herd
AVERAGE LIFE SPAN IN CAPTIVITY: 6 to 14 years
SIZE: 6 to 7.75 feet
WEIGHT: 110 to 300 pounds
Reproduction
Deer usually mate once a year in the fall and give birth the following May or June. The average gestation period is about 198 days. Females can birth 1-3 offspring per year. In Fairfax County deer usually produce 2-3 offspring because of low predation and ample food. Females conceal their offspring in tall grass when they are young.
Doe & Two Fawns
Deer population management
Deer populations in Fairfax County are considerably higher than what the habitat can support. Usually a healthy ecosystem can support 15-20 deer per square mile. The current estimate is that there are 40-100 deer per square mile in several areas in the county. Overpopulation depletes natural plant resources and causes stress to the herds. Integrated deer management programs are in effect for long term herd management. One such area is along the Potomac River in Great Falls.
According to the most recent data I could find, in 2017-2018 Virginia ranked 12 in the US for the likelihood of a collision with a deer. One in 99 drivers will potentially be involved in a collision with a deer. Just a quick drive down Route 7 confirms that lots of deer end their lives with a vehicle collision.
Deer Tracks
