Vegetarian Zombie

"Graaaaaaaaaaaains... graaaaaaaaaaaaains...."

The zombies have risen from their graves. They're approaching. Is this the end? Do they want to feast on the flesh of their human victims? No, something strange happens. This zombie horde just simply walks by the humans, not interested. The people sigh in relief... then they notice that the horde had gotten into a garden and is devouring the plant life.

Not all zombies prefer meat; Vegetarian Zombies would rather have grains instead of brains for a meal. A relative newcomer in the zombie genre, these Undead creatures are more at peace with plant rather than meat. The benefits for the zombies include the fact many targets, especially humans, are often armed and can run fast – plants are easier to find and catch. There are few plant species that have natural defenses, but a vegetarian zombie would still try their luck.

This is still bad news for the human survivors, though: this could cost them their food supply and, in the worst cases, their oxygen (since many plants give that off after consuming carbon dioxide).

This is a subtrope of Our Zombies Are Different.

Film

 * In the 2008 reboot of Day of the Dead, a zombie is brought along with the survivors, yet doesn't seem interested in their flesh. Private Salazar isn't thrilled at all about it, but Corporal Sarah Cross explains that the zombie they found is vegetarian. Cross theorized the zombie was likely a vegetarian beforehand.

Video Games

 * The main plot of Plants vs. Zombies series.
 * In the supernatural pack of The Sims 3, zombies often appear during a full-moon. If a garden is nearby, they'll likely consume that first.

Real Life

 * The United States Department of Defense Strategic Command CONOP actually uses zombies as part of the training regime. Vegetarian Zombies can cause deforestation and destroy the basic food supply, putting humans and animals at risk.