Hi David, thanks for your reply. Definitely no deer in the area. Possums are a thought (we have ring tails and brush tails) but everything else has been left untouched (the upper ears are the ones being targeted and possums would have had to attack from the ground). The first thing I did was look for insect culprits but nothing visible. Someone has suggested birds, and there are lorikeets, galahs, rosellas and cockatoos in large numbers in our area but I've never seen any, anywhere near the vegie patch and I don't know if they would target silks. "Sigh"