See that pipe in the leprechaun's mouth? It's not there anymore. And before it wasn't there, the stem of the pipe was much shorter. Like by 4 inches.
It's the darn squirrels. For whatever reason, since this winter scene photo was taken the tree rats have chewed off the elf's pipe THREE TIMES right at the base. Each time, I've sawed off the frayed end and stuck it back into the tree. The last time, the stem was only a couple of inches long. So, this morning when I stepped into the yard, there was the pipe on the ground — again.
Why are they chewing it off? Clearly, it's not edible. Nesting material? No, they leave the amputated pipe on the ground next to the tree. A craving for nicotine? Nonsense. Most likely they're just sharpening their teeth on the pipe's hard wood.
Well, I'm giving them a pipe stem that will be a workout for their teeth:
