What's eating my marigolds!?

I'm completely at a loss with this. I've planted a line of marigolds in my raised veg bed (to deter insects), along with strawberries, garlic, lettuce, beetroot and radish. The marigolds are fairly big now, say 20cm or bigger but at night something keeps cutting them at the base and leaving them strewn around, sometimes quite far from the bed. The crops themselves haven't been touched. What do you think it is? Mice? It must be an animal/bird as insects couldn't do this damage and it happens over night in one go, not gradually. Very intriguing and I can't find any answers on the internet anywhere.

Any suggestions very welcome!

Many thanks

Parch

 

Hi
If its not slugs that love marigolds the other menace is Leather jackets ( before it turns into a daddy long legs) , they cut them off just above ground level and you will find them topled over on there side


Spruce

 

I always thought that "daddy long legs" were the round bodied spider? are we/I confussing this with the crane fly?

Plant Potty.

 

Sorry i will stop eating your marigolds..must book some more sessions with my dietican

 

Hi Plant Potty

I have a feeling its a reginal thing with what we call stuff, I am originaly from the North West so .... yes like you have said Crane Fly , to me daddy long legs , and I remember it hitting the ceiling in the dark in my bedroom when I was little

Spruce

 

I think its a childhood thing too, many folks down here call crane flys daddy long legs, infact more folks call crane flys that than the other way around I think it comes from that time of year when they keep flying in the house at night too, its only words tho, as long as we know what each others mean alls good, tho my yanky gf drives me to distraction calling my garden a "Yard" and my grass/lawn "pasture":DOH:we were going fishing last year and were looking for worms, I had to nip to the cash point first but told her to put some soapy water on the lawn, it makes the worms come up, I returned to find that she had dug a large hole in the lawn:DOH:she loves flowers tho so I'll slowely learn her:WINK1:

Plant Potty.