I agree more information and a picture would help us figure out possible culprits. The type of sedum also, and the extent of the damage. If this is a large sedum like 'Autumn Joy' and large amounts of the tops are disappearing, around here that would be deer. They love those sedums!
Name: Sally central Maryland (Zone 7b) See you in the funny papers!
I've seen the suggestion, for dealing with groundhog damage, that giving them water sources might reduce the plant damage. No idea if this applies to the birds (if that's the culprit)
Hi Sally . I thought that might work too. I discovered that it wasn't water they were after. We have a pond and 6 birdbaths and 3 butterfly water trays....then I realized that it was indeed spring and early summer that the damage was done, I think the critters were looking for food as the berries and seeds etc. weren't growing/ready yet. Maybe they were just hungry.
Name: Beth Northern Virginia (Zone 7a) Earth laughs in flowers.
I'm pretty sure I've seen purple finch on the sedum. The sedum is Autumn Fire not Autumn Joy. I don't think deer are around since it is a subdivision near a golf course with no woods around.
Be the CHANGE you wish to see in the world.
Only people litter. So STOP LITTERING, people!
I haven't had rabbits eat sedum but different rabbits have different ideas about what is tasty. Is the golf course completely surrounded by sub-divisions? I see deer on the golf course near here which has some houses around but also farmland. If it was deer you may see their hoofprints in the soil near the plants.
Name: Leslieray Hurlburt Sacramento California (Zone 9b)
I can see beak shaped cutouts in hard to reach angles. I see these in green leaves in spring of certain types of plants. The culprits in my case are White Crowned Sparrows that winter over in the gardens here. Pecked a few things to death every year then they start in on petals of spring flowers! Love them anyway.
Hamilton Square Garden, Historic City Cemetery, Sacramento California.
Yes, some rabbits will nibble on sedum.
Same here Leslieray. We have the little house sparrows. We love them. The Blue Jays do a lot of damage here in the spring.
Beth, I'm not too far from you and have witnessed birds eating my sedum. I was standing in the kitchen and watched as a bird perched on the hanging basket and feasted on the sedum for quite awhile.
But the damage on my Sedum seboldii isn't as extensive as yours and I've never had birds touch my larger sedums like Autumn Fire.
I don't have deer so I don't know what deer damage looks like, but I do know that sedum is not at all deer proof.
I'm in Maryland just over the Potomac from Beth, and have identical sedum damage. I've seen the purple finch on it and have woodchucks across street. Any ideas on how to keep the birds away?