[NatureNS] Crocus corms

From: "Andy Dean" <aadean@ns.sympatico.ca>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
References: <47BED3B1.9050108@glinx.com> <000301c87562$1c8f7e70$a7478a18@oldcoot3> <47BEED4E.1000508@glinx.com>
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:19:51 -0400
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When we lived at Port Joli we planted several large clumps of crocus =
which blossomed profusely the first year....semi-profusely the second =
year .... sparsley the third year.... and from then on we had only one =
or two small clumps or solitary blooms.....and we attributed it to the =
resident chipmunks which were a constant in the 15 years we resided =
there....we also had red squirrels but we never had any evidence that =
they ate the bulbs.
    Whilst eating lunch one day , sitting by the dining room window,  we =
watched a short-tailed vole emerge from it's den under a stump and make =
several trips back and forth to a small surviving patch of crocus. It =
was dragging blossoms , one at a time,  with which to decorate the =
entrance to its den.....we figured it was an aesthetically minded =
individual and the purpose purely decorative, but there may have been a =
more practical use for the flowers.

Andy & Lelia Dean
86 Baden Powell Drive
Kentville, NS. Canada. B4N 5P5
Tel: [902] 678-6243

aadean@ns.sympatico.ca

From: David & Alison Webster=20
  To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
  Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 11:42 AM
  Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Crocus corms


  Hi Margaret & All,            Feb 22, 2008
      I doubt Chipmunk because we have never (over 40 years) seen one in =

  the yard or nearby. But it is interesting that they also make use of=20
  underground storage organs. Treatment of the Crocus corms suggests a=20
  long-standing culture in corm/bulb usage. So I am wondering what =
native=20
  plants they might harvest and suspect that the dug up areas in=20
  Coniferous woods, attributed by folklore to Squirrels burying cones,=20
   might be something else.
  Yt, DW

  Margaret E.Millard wrote:

  > any chance it might be a chipmunk's stash? Sounds awfully familiar =
to=20
  > me. Here I have (sadly, as I love the snow drops but really wanted =
to=20
  > know where they were going)  watched as they harvest the bloom and=20
  > flower stalk, eat it and then dig up the corm and away they went and =

  > stashed them in my gardening gloves in a bucket that I use for =
lugging=20
  > tools about the yard...
  > Marg in White Point, Queens
  > http://margmillard.ca
  > ----- Original Message ----- From: "David & Alison Webster"=20
  > <dwebster@glinx.com>
  > To: <NatureNS@chebucto.ns.ca>
  > Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 9:52 AM
  > Subject: [NatureNS] Crocus corms
  >
  >
  >> Dear All,            Feb 22, 2008
  >>    For about 25 years I have hauled warm-weather wood last and =
piled=20
  >> it over a mixed bed of Vinca, Crocus and Snowdrops. These tiers are =

  >> used or moved by mid-March. This has subdued the otherwise=20
  >> overwhelming Vinca and given the Crocus and Snowdrop room to =
expand.
  >>
  >>    But this year is going to be very different I think. The soil=20
  >> under these tiers is entirely rooted up with runners sunken and=20
  >> soil/debris piled between tiers. Today, while hauling in more wood, =
I=20
  >> uncovered a cache of 7 Crocus corms, carefully stripped of outer=20
  >> husk, with the shoot chewed back and piled root end up in a red=20
  >> squirrel (?) pantry.
  >>
  >>    I suspect Squirrel because we have 2 in the yard, rarely seen=20
  >> since cold weather arrived, and the associated ~2 Litre nest had =
long=20
  >> slim fleas that resembles some that came in with roadkill. So=20
  >> tentatively, our Squirrels have developed a taste for Crocus corms.
  >>
  >> Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville
  >>
  >

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<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2900.3268" name=3DGENERATOR>
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<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>When we lived at Port Joli we planted =
several large=20
clumps of crocus which blossomed profusely the first =
year....semi-profusely the=20
second year .... sparsley the third year.... and from then on we had =
only one or=20
two small clumps or solitary blooms.....and we attributed it to the =
resident=20
chipmunks which were a constant in the 15 years we resided there....we =
also had=20
red squirrels but we never had any evidence that they ate the=20
bulbs.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Whilst eating lunch =
one day ,=20
sitting by the dining room window, &nbsp;we </FONT><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>watched a short-tailed vole emerge from it's den under a stump =
and make=20
several trips back and forth to a small surviving patch of crocus. It=20
was&nbsp;dragging blossoms , one at a time, &nbsp;with which&nbsp;to =
decorate=20
the entrance to its den.....we figured it was&nbsp;an aesthetically =
minded=20
individual and the purpose purely decorative, but there may have been a =
more=20
practical use for the flowers.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Andy &amp; Lelia Dean<BR>86 Baden =
Powell=20
Drive<BR>Kentville, NS. Canada. B4N 5P5<BR>Tel: [902] =
678-6243</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"mailto:aadean@ns.sympatico.ca">aadean@ns.sympatico.ca</A></FONT><=
/DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><B>From:</B> <A title=3Ddwebster@glinx.com=20
href=3D"mailto:dwebster@glinx.com">David &amp; Alison Webster</A> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Dnaturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
  href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</A> =
</DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, February 22, 2008 =
11:42=20
  AM</DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [NatureNS] Crocus=20
corms</DIV>
  <DIV><BR></DIV>Hi Margaret &amp;=20
  All,&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; =
Feb 22