DON'T LET CRITTERS CHEW UP GARDEN.

Byline: JANE GATES Gardening

SANTA CLARITA - Spring is the time when life yawns and reaches out from its winter nap.

Trees bud out and wildflowers rush to bloom before summer announces its desiccating heat. Baby birds, coyotes, raccoons, snakes and other critters make their appearances. Insects appear to fill the air.

This is the time to enjoy the beauty of nature with a bit of caution. In the garden, protect vulnerable roots and bulbs from breeding rodents with chicken wire or hardware cloth. Check for aphids and other pests regularly. Pick snails when young or consider purchasing decollate snails from retail stores so they will feed on the eggs or hatchlings of the slimy critters before they grow big and become too troublesome.

If you have fruit setting on trees or early vegetable crops, consider netting to protect the garden from scampering squirrels, clever raccoons, pecking birds and other hungry wildlife foraging for themselves and for their young. The coyote is an opportunistic feeder and will delight in your fruits just as much as a juicy rodent or your pesky snails will.

Watch out for baby rattlesnakes. They may be small, but they are venomous and they do not always back away from noisy larger life forms the way more experienced adults tend to do. There will be plenty of gopher snakes, too, and gardeners like them. They help keep down rattlers and rodents alike. Unlikely to bite, they will do so if you harass them and give them no choice. Children and pets need special attention at this time of year. Curiosity can bring our little ones into direct conflict with wildlife young and old alike, and the ones with fangs, claws and teeth are likely to use them when frightened.

Innocent young wildlife can become prey to loose pets and pets can become prey to more dangerous wildlife. The best way to avoid all these possibilities is to watch children carefully when outdoors. Keep pets in enclosed areas and locked safely inside at night.

When working in your garden, feel free to do so noisily. Most wildlife will leave immediately. Long sleeves and pants will protect you from insect bites and skin irritations. Don't forget the sunblock. And if you really want to enjoy the beauty of nature in springtime, bring a magnifying glass to examine tiny flowers or colorful insects. And grab some binoculars to watch that wildlife from a safe distance.

When you get a free show, like a pair of spectacular California quail followed by a necklace of tiny chicks trickling right by your viewing point, just enjoy the gift from this short but delightful season.