Flower buds nipped off what's doing it?

I'm in the western NY area. My mother is having a problem (as in previous years) with her daffodil and tulip buds being nipped off just below the bud.* Is this rodent damage or insect? Any suggestions as to how to stop it will be appreciated.

*if it had been at ground level, I would have suspected a cutworm but this is right below the bud -- leaving the stem so short it can't even be put in a vase to be enjoyed.

Thx.
Giselle

Possible Woodchuck/Groundhog ?

I don't know if it's something so large. She lives in Niagara Falls, has a stockade fence enclosed backyard (regualar, city sized lot) and two, small yappy dogs. Neither of the dogs have ever given any indication that there is something invading their territory or living in/around the garage or fence line. I suppose it's still possible there is a fairly large animal around but woodchucks/groundhogs are fairly rare within the city limits. Squirrels are around but no chipmunks. Could it be just a regular ol' city rat?

My first guess would be rabbits, but it could be pretty much any veggie munching animal that you might have in the area. Or if it's too high for rabbits it could be deer.

Why would rabbits or deer -- or any animal, for that matter -- cut the bud off and then leave the bud and leaves and stem? Nothing's eaten. Everything is there. It's just decapitated.

Same thing happened to my pansies, and one night I went out to roll up the car windows, and a bunny ran out of the garden...I'm blaming him!

Have you considered setting up a motion controlled camera? I remember hearing a story a while back where a family was missing their news paper every morning. They thought the neighbors were stealing it so they set up a camera to find out. It was a fox! LOL. The neighbors were vindicated.

He wanted to read Fox news?

As I recall he was using them as part of his nest building. When they tracked him down he had them piled up in a brush pile. Maybe they were paper training the kits. ^_^

LOL, never thought of that!

Sounds like deer damage....they only eat the blooms off of my tulips and leave the foliage and buds.

Nana3

No deer; it's a city yard with stockade fence all around. The buds are not eaten, just nipped off and dropped. The stems are also intact. There's nothing missing or eaten, it's just a bud removed from the stem. And it happens every spring.

Been watching this and it is odd.
I can see why people would say deer, as they eat just buds sometimes, and if they don't like them, spit them out and continue to damage more.
It is quite a mystery. I guess a trail camera would be the only way to show.
Can I add my guess?
A jealous neighbor with a pair of clippers?

LOL, cparts! Hey, ya never know...I say put up a camera!