That is odd--I'll be watching this to see what's up. I was and still am so please to have a gerbera alive in my garden because they haven't survived for me, in the past.

Rabbit.

Sounds like cutworms.

I don't think it's cutworms as no stem damage occurs. Dont think it is rabbit as I moved it high on the potting bench and it still happened..petals pulled out neatly and lying there.

Do you have deer in your area? They used to do that in my garden...with

the flowers they didn't like (which they didn't know until they ripped them off, I

guess). Any ground squirrels in the area?

No deer, yes to squirrels.

Very tall rabbits. ;-)

Must be a very tall rabbit playing loves me, loves me not. I have no idea why this is happening only to the Gerbera.

Birds could be it

I agree with Paul Mi about the birds. Although I can not raise Gerbera here I have seen birds pull and eat petals from various things. If it is only one petal that is pulled it may have had a bug on it that the bird wanted and the petal was just something in the way.

Goldfinches are doing this to my Zinnias, guess it’s easier to get to the seeds.

A gold finch could be a suspect. Gold finches do not nest in early spring like many other birds. They wait until the fuzz of thistle blooms become available. They use thistle down for nests and apparently feed the seeds to their young.

One way to find out would be to set up a trail cam. If you are disinclined to buy one, maybe you know a friend who has one that he/she would loan to you.

Beware that it might be a human and they can detect cameras. You'll need to hide/disguise the camera. Some trail cams have fronts designed to appear like tree bark. These are easier to disguise. If a human spies a camera in this situation, he may avoid the location or destroy the camera.

I think it is likely birds. Rabbits make a mess of plants.

Really bad picture, but here is one plucking away on zinnia petals. The other 10 or so flew off before I could take the picture.

your zinnia blossoms:

The birds may be after the immature seeds.

Could it be they are style conscious birds who decorate their nests with flower petals? Nah. Just kidding. However, some birds collect objects that are attractive to them. Objects of interest maybe metal foil, shiny buttons, pull tabs, and jewelry.

Ever see the movie “Harvey”? I’ll bet it’s Harvey!

I think it must be birds. Jem, they are not stylish decorating birds as the petals are left behind.

Nice pictures, Iris. I had gotten the Gerbera intending to use them in a small weekly bouquet for a friend undergoing treatment. Gerbera are her favorite and cheer her up. Oh well, wish the birds would leave them alone .... they are welcome to the other flowers.