Is it still worthwhile lifting the dahlia tubers...?

msqingxiao

My dahlias were only blackened by frost earlier last week, and they are obviously covered by a foot of snow now! Wondering if it's still worth lifting them later this month when the temperature seems to be getting higher?

And also what kind of animal footprints were this left in our garden? Didn't capture anything on our ring doorbell..

fidgetbones

I will lift my dahlias next time it is mild.  The footprints could be a muntjac.

Fairygirl

Snow is an insulator, so if the ground was fairly dry before that, it won't do any harm. However, when it melts, that's more of a problem, as they can get affected more by wet  cold, rather than dry. 
No offence but- that's nothing like a foot of snow 

Can't see the prints clearly enough to make a guess. Sorry 

fidgetbones

I'm going by the double slots.  A roe deer would be picked up on the camera.

msqingxiao

Thanks both for your comments OK maybe I exaggerated a bit but it does seem to be the most amount of snow I've seen in my life...  

This area is not known for deer sightings, but we have cats, dogs, foxes rambling around. Will see if I can get a closer photo tomorrow if the footprints are still there.

Dovefromabove

Those are definitely deer slots … not sure what sort but definitely a small deer. Muntjac are quite solitary and hide in dense undergrowth so are often there, but unseen most of the time. There are few places in the south east and midlands that don’t have muntjac … we even get them in the city centre in Norwich. 

Fairygirl

msqingxiao said:

OK maybe I exaggerated a bit but it does seem to be the most amount of snow I've seen in my life...  

 
Have you made a snowman yet @msqingxiao ? I'll happily swap our ice and minus 9 for your snow. Ours just did the usual and became sheet ice, as it wasn't particularly heavy even if it went on and off all day 
My eye sight must be getting worse! I think the others are right about the muntjac deer. We only get the bigger 'varieties' of deer here, which is why they didn't spring to mind. I know muntjac are small, as @Dovefromabove says, and they do seem to be moving into more built up areas too. If you have a wildlife camera you could set that up. They might be finding it difficult to get food due to the snow. Once it goes, they'll likely disappear again. 

msqingxiao

I think you guys are right! Had a chat with neighbours and googled a bit, and there obviously are muntjacs in the park next to us. What beautiful creatures!