Something ate my maple
A small japanese maple sapling and perhaps 1/2 tp 3/4 inch in diameter (3 years old), about 2/12 feet tall, has just disappeared from my deck, 25 feet off the ground, leaves, shoots and all, leaving a clean cut with small striations on closer viewing (with glasses - otherwise it appears to have been clipped cleanly with sheers). (It wasn't) - It was there yesterday. It's gone today.

Despite my nurserman's contention that it was probably a) beetles or b) birds seeking beetles, the fact that the whole thing has disappeard without a crumb indicates that something hungrier was at work. Do rats eat trees? There was a pretty good amount of foliage and stem. We have ruled out flying beavers, giant snails and climbing bunnies. There is a squirrel in the neighborhood, no noticible racolarge snails ons, a couple of skunks. There could be possums, but none have been sighted for some time. Ground level fruit trees, particulary lemon, orange and apricot, all in fruit, have not been touched. Thank you.

San Francisco, CA.