A friend of mine has recently been finding areas of her lawn where the grass appears to have been "plucked" and scattered, then a small hole or depression made down to dirt level. There are no tunnels or soft spots around the area. She says her husband threw some limes out in that area and the problem started after that. The peels are gone, by the way. It looks almost like golf divets (I think that's what they're called). She has crows in the area and lives next to a creek that would support 4-leggers, but I can't think of anything that would disturb just a small area, then just keep coming back. She sent some pictures, but I don't know have access to any public picture area, so I can't send them. It's not gophers, and I don't think it's moles (again, no tunnels). Does anyone have any ideas????

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My guess is armadillos. I think they are looking for grubs to eat, or at least that's what I've been told. They can really make the yard look like a minefield, but they are basically pretty harmless.

Dragonfly, thanks loads!! I never even thought about armadillos -- and that could well be the answer. Imagine you are hand-pulling nutgrass or such and tossing it aside as you go. You get very small bare spots with tufts of grass laying on top of the lawn. Would they cause that type of appearance? And would they stay in just one general area?

And if it is one of these guys, what can she use to deter him. She is not an organic gardener and is talking about "having someone come and spray" -- the answer to all problems, of course! I'm hoping to head her off at the pass by giving her some alternatives, especially since she lives near a creek.

PS: Thank you very much for replying!!!!

Have her try some red pepper flakes in the area. Seemed to work for me. 'course, now he's just moved to another area

Well, I'm not going to be much help in the "getting rid of armadillos" department, because I live out in the sticks, and don't worry about the lawn. 12 acres of lawn is too much to worry about, and besides, nobody sees it. We have a very protective dog who seems to keep critters out of the yard. You can probably trap armadillos, but I'm not sure what kind of bait you would use. Also, there's a slim chance of armadillos carrying disease such as the organism that causes leprosy (no kidding), so I tend to leave wild animals alone. If it were me, I would just leave it alone, and it will eventually go on to other places. From time to time, I see signs of armadillos digging on our place, but it doesn't happen persistently.