Beautiful but destructive, true. In the winter they eat the needles off the pine trees, killing all the lower branches. My arborvitae all look like bottle brushes. I've planted saplings - maple, oak, and hickory - that they've in turn eaten all the way to the ground. I've had some success keeping them out of my garden, as long as it's right up against the house and only has tomatoes and zucchini. Why can't they eat my fire bushes?