I had the same trouble so I watched as I washed up. All was quiet outside and then a Blackbird made real mess just like the pics here so I am going for birds. Birds looks for slugs. I think Squirrels would have knocked over the pots. K
if it ws a squirrel he was prolly planting something. We ocasionally have baby oak trees and pecan trees even corn grow up outa pots and garden beds. We have even let one of the oak trees grow and its now quite big it happened to be planted in a good place the rest get mowed, or pulled or rounded up.
We need one of those stealth cameras, dressed in camo gear to solve this mystery. Or maybe one of those drones camouflaged as a flying plant.
Squirrels haven't dug in my containers for so long or at this house but the chipmunks sure enjoy doing it. The reason I know it is the chipmunks because later on after I fill the pots back up with dirt, I have sunflowers growing in them. I find them growing in almost all of my containers...
Chuckle. Busy little creatures. I like how they let out an indignant squeal when taken by surprise outdoors.
Yeah, I'm pretty pissed. It's still happening. The mothballs were a temporary deterrent. Doesn't faze them at all now though. They've even dug around the forks I planted! Not so much in that planter though, so I may do forks in the others, and weave some prickly rose bush stems (from my pruning) through the forks, just for added ouch. I guess I can be thankful for small blessings....it is the end of the season after all, so I wasn't planning for there to be much in the way of pots over the winter. There are several silk floral arrangements I will put out there for some color, and the one pothos that I put out there will come inside. (NOTE TO SELF....take a pick of that pothos before I do, it's probably doubled in size since being outside!) The biggest annoyance is that I planted a bunch of pansies in the pots that held the summer flowers, expecting that they would add some color out there over the winter. But at the rate the squirrels are going, they will be all dug up in the next two weeks!!!