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[IBC] evil squirrels!
Yep, that sounds about right. A squirle broke the apex
off my favorite Acer this spring while useing it as a launching pad to get to our bird feeder. Guess I should be happy they have not tried to eat any of my trees yet. I know to keep dogs from chewing on your furniture they sugest useing red pepper. Wonder if that would work on squirles too. Louis --- Doonemd wrote: Well, as usual, the squirrels are wreaking havoc with my bonsai again. Last year I discovered that squirrels find hornbeam and maple buds quite delicious!-no leaf pruning necessary that year :( This year I have learned that those evil squirels also find Chinese elm quite tasty but they apparently have a laxative effect on the squirrel as it left quite a few "presents" on my bonsai bench! :( I have resorted to bribing the evil squirrels with sunflower seeds and corn cobs to keep them away from my trees. I suppose I shall have agreat crop of sunflowers as accent plants this year....) Lorna ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop! http://platinum.yahoo.com ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
[IBC] evil squirrels!
We'll see if English grey squirrels share the US's cousin's tastes then - or how far away they can smell it. I see squirrels running about regularly in the road I live in: they live in the trees in a further education establishment about 200 yards from home snip Hmmm. I though the "English" gray squirrels were American gray squirrels that some damned fool imported over there and that they were running off your prettier and nicer red squirrels. Am I wrong? Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry David Thoreau - Walden ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
[IBC] evil squirrels!
In message 004401c2f3e2$d2c24260$21102cc7@pavilion, Jim Lewis
writes We'll see if English grey squirrels share the US's cousin's tastes then - or how far away they can smell it. I see squirrels running about regularly in the road I live in: they live in the trees in a further education establishment about 200 yards from home snip Hmmm. I though the "English" gray squirrels were American gray Grins in answer. And there was I looking out for them: after all they are 'tree rats with good PR'. Don't know anyone with a good word for 'em though. Red squirrels are extinct in all but the Isle of Wight and somewhere in Scotland. I don't remember seeing them even as a child, but then its only very recently that one would see them living in a town and tame enough to come and steal one's bird food. (Never mind the bonsai!) Sincerely, Chris -- Chris McMillan reply to: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mike.mcmillan/ |
[IBC] evil squirrels!
We have quite a few black squirrels in my area of Ohio. I think they
were imported from ?? and brought to the Kent State University campus. They have since spread to surrounding communities. They're a bit smaller than the common gray squirrel but still a big pain in the aster. They're constantly digging in my pots, uprooting trees and eating roots and bark. Are they common to other areas? btw The gray squirrels and the black squirrels don't get along too well. hmmmm Art |
[IBC] evil squirrels!
I haven't been following this thread but it's my understanding
that the black eastern squirrel is just a grey squirrel in a different color phase..... the farther south one goes the less likely the black color phase is to occur... I'm not certain if that's recessive gene stuff or what. Yes. That's so. The grays don't like the black squirrels only because they're "different." So, black ones tend to mate with black ones, which produces -- black ones (mostly). Tempermentally, they're the same. (Some folks a while ago tried to relate the black squirrel coats in the north to the soot emitted by factory stacks; dark-colored squirrels had better survival potentials (from hawks and owls, etc) where the tree trunks were also black from the soot. This works with some moths, but moth generations tend to occur more rapidly than squirrels (barely!), so I don't know.) There are also small clans of pure white eastern squirrels.... Yes. A neighbor has a batch of white squirrels in his yard (several acres of pines, oaks and pecans). They've been there for 30 years. There also are piebald squirrels, so his grays don't seem to have any miscegenation biases. I have no idea what the evolutionary value of the white squirrel might be, but since there never are more than a few on his place and there are gazillions of grays, it probably isn't significant. Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Who is VERY happy to see a recent increase in population of the FOX squirrel locally! ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
[IBC] evil squirrels!
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Lewis" Subject: [IBC] evil squirrels! I haven't been following this thread but it's my understanding that the black eastern squirrel is just a grey squirrel in a different color phase..... the farther south one goes the less likely the black color phase is to occur... I'm not certain if that's recessive gene stuff or what. Yes. That's so. Jim Lewis No, As Art Krummel stated in a post ( Art lives near me and is in our local club) OUR black squirrels come from Kent State University directly about 20 minutes north of me and 10 minutes north of Art). They were brought here by a research prof. in the late 40's/early 50's from frica( If I remember the folk lore correct) I believe. and they are slowly moving their range outward. I rarely see them at my neighborhood but there are a few. The KSU campus is filled with them. They are a pretty dark black. Regards, Dale Cochoy ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
[IBC] evil squirrels!
More info on black squirrels for the interested. Others should hit
DELETE right now :) Bonsai Bonsai Bonsai! Anita Jim - the black or melanistic phase of the eastern grey squirrel is the result of a genetic mutation, yes, but probably Dominant rather than recessive. In domestic mice, chickens, and a tropical bird (the bananaquit), the melanistic phase has been shown to be due to a dominant mutation in the gene for melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R), a regulator of melanin synthesis (see Curr Biol 2001 Apr 17;11(8):550-7). I don't think anyone has done the squirrels yet, or at least it's not published. The larger numbers of black phase squirrels in the North (naturally occuring, not including "imports" like KSU's) seem to be related to a warmth-retaining advantage in cold climes. "Studies have shown that black animals have 18% lower heat loss in temperatures below -10 degrees Celcius, along wth a 20% lower basal metabolic rate, and a nonshivering thermogenesis capacity 11% higher than grey morphs." (from http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.ed...._carolinensis$narrative.html) Dale - "folklore" not withstanding, the KSU black squirrels were brought down in 1961 from Canada (where they're relatively common) in a well-documented incident. Not from Africa, sorry, as far as anyone knows. Same species as the grey, though we may be seeing the beginnings of the evolution of a new species here, since they don't interbreed much with the greys. wait a few (human) generations and see... from the KSU website: "Ten rare black squirrels were imported from Canada in February 1961 by Larry Woodell, superintendent of grounds, and M. W. Staples, a retired executive of the Davey Tree Expert Company. When first released, the large, black-spiked squirrels were frequently mistaken for skunks. Today they own the campus. The Black Squirrel Festival started in 1981 as a day-long event held on the Student Center Plaza to introduce new students to campus and community organizations." So *your* black squirrels are no different from, say, the population on the NIH campus in Washington DC. Say, what is it about black squirrels and academia anyway? ;) Are we just less likely to shoot the tree-rats, or what? ;) dalecochoy wrote: ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Lewis" Subject: [IBC] evil squirrels! I haven't been following this thread but it's my understanding that the black eastern squirrel is just a grey squirrel in a different color phase..... the farther south one goes the less likely the black color phase is to occur... I'm not certain if that's recessive gene stuff or what. Yes. That's so. Jim Lewis No, As Art Krummel stated in a post ( Art lives near me and is in our local club) OUR black squirrels come from Kent State University directly about 20 minutes north of me and 10 minutes north of Art). They were brought here by a research prof. in the late 40's/early 50's from frica( If I remember the folk lore correct) I believe. and they are slowly moving their range outward. I rarely see them at my neighborhood but there are a few. The KSU campus is filled with them. They are a pretty dark black. Regards, Dale Cochoyy ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
[IBC] evil squirrels!
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Lewis" Subject: [IBC] evil squirrels! I haven't been following this thread but it's my understanding that the black eastern squirrel is just a grey squirrel in a different color phase..... the farther south one goes the less likely the black color phase is to occur... I'm not certain if that's recessive gene stuff or what. Yes. That's so. Jim Lewis No, As Art Krummel stated in a post ( Art lives near me and is in our local club) OUR black squirrels come from Kent State University directly about 20 minutes north of me and 10 minutes north of Art). They were brought here by a research prof. in the late 40's/early 50's from frica( If I remember the folk lore correct) You said it right, Dale. This is 100% folklore. The black squirrels are gray squirrels -- just like the white squirrels. There are colonies of black squirrels scattered here and there all though the area above the Mason Dixon line. In fact, I can find no reference to squirrels in Africa at all -- tho they may have some over there somewhere. Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
[IBC] evil squirrels!
Thanks Jim and Anita ( for reasearching this)
I obviously heard my folklore incorrect. Now when I drive through Kent I will have a renewed interest in squirrels! Jim, I see we've found your "forte". Dale P.S. Is Nina tearing her hair out yet?? :) You said it right, Dale. This is 100% folklore. The black squirrels are gray squirrels -- just like the white squirrels. There are colonies of black squirrels scattered here and there all though the area above the Mason Dixon line. In fact, I can find no reference to squirrels in Africa at all -- tho they may have some over there somewhere. Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
[IBC] evil squirrels!
Thank you Anita for researching this. I KNEW someone would.
BTW, Are you doing this at work?? :) I was losing sleep over it! Now I have the "Rest of the story" on KSU Black Squirrels. Here I thought we were special! Darn! Oh well, now I can sleep tonight without the double-dose of NIQUIL! Thanks, Dale ----- Original Message ----- From: "Anita Hawkins" Subject: [IBC] evil squirrels! Dale - "folklore" not withstanding, the KSU black squirrels were brought down in 1961 from Canada (where they're relatively common) in a well-documented incident. Not from Africa, sorry, as far as anyone knows. Same species as the grey, though we may be seeing the beginnings of the evolution of a new species here, since they don't interbreed much with the greys. wait a few (human) generations and see... from the KSU website: "Ten rare black squirrels were imported from Canada in February 1961 by Larry Woodell, superintendent of grounds, and M. W. Staples, a retired executive of the Davey Tree Expert Company. When first released, the large, black-spiked squirrels were frequently mistaken for skunks. Today they own the campus. The Black Squirrel Festival started in 1981 as a day-long event held on the Student Center Plaza to introduce new students to campus and community organizations." So *your* black squirrels are no different from, say, the population on the NIH campus in Washington DC. Say, what is it about black squirrels and academia anyway? ;) ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
[IBC] evil squirrels!
In message 00a701c2f53b$6baef960$0430fea9@dalespc, dalecochoy
writes Oh well, now I can sleep tonight without the double-dose of NIQUIL! While I am now lying awake wondering who sent that grey squirrel into my garden!!!!!!! We've lived in this actual house 17 and a half years (and previously in another house nearby) for a total of 30 years, and have NEVER seen a squirrel this close to the house. In fact it was my husband who yelled up that he could see it at the end of the garden, about 100 ft from the house. (He didn't know about squirrels and bonsai), and this brought 19 year old Hazel to the window as happy as a child at seeing it. Can you imagine your average 21st century teenager excited at seeing a squirrel? Must be because although we named her Hazel as in the 'Chief Rabbit' of Richard Adams 'Watership Down' (sad, aren't we!), she was brought up on and her nickname is 'Nutkin' for Beatrix Potter's Squirrel Nutkin. So I've had to tell her that squirrels are bad news to bonsai: we're hoping that because its only a few feet from the house Mr. and Mrs. Nutkin will keep their distance. So : what precautions do you take against the tree rats?? Sincerely, Chris -- Chris McMillan reply to: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mike.mcmillan/ |
[IBC] evil squirrels!
Can you imagine your average 21st century teenager excited at seeing a squirrel? Must be because although we named her Hazel as in the 'Chief Rabbit' of Richard Adams 'Watership Down' (sad, aren't we!), she was brought up on and her nickname is 'Nutkin' for Beatrix Potter's Squirrel Nutkin. So I've had to tell her that squirrels are bad news to bonsai: we're hoping that because its only a few feet from the house Mr. and Mrs. Nutkin will keep their distance. So : what precautions do you take against the tree rats?? Yes. Unfortunately. Today, most of the world seems to be totally divorced from nature. However, ONE squirrel is not a threat to bonsai. Even two or three aren't. In actual fact, squirrels are a nuisance, but will seldom do severe damage to a bonsai -- given anything else in the neighborhood to eat. Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry David Thoreau - Walden ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
[IBC] evil squirrels!
If they will not breed with the grey squirrels, they are a seperate species. For
speciation to occur, it does not have to be that they can not mate, the fact that they will not breed is just as valid. Geographic isolation is as much an accepted qualification for speciation as genetic differences. They are isolated, so the population is drifting away from what it originally came from. dalecochoy wrote: Thank you Anita for researching this. I KNEW someone would. BTW, Are you doing this at work?? :) I was losing sleep over it! Now I have the "Rest of the story" on KSU Black Squirrels. Here I thought we were special! Darn! Oh well, now I can sleep tonight without the double-dose of NIQUIL! Thanks, Dale ----- Original Message ----- From: "Anita Hawkins" Subject: [IBC] evil squirrels! Dale - "folklore" not withstanding, the KSU black squirrels were brought down in 1961 from Canada (where they're relatively common) in a well-documented incident. Not from Africa, sorry, as far as anyone knows. Same species as the grey, though we may be seeing the beginnings of the evolution of a new species here, since they don't interbreed much with the greys. wait a few (human) generations and see... from the KSU website: "Ten rare black squirrels were imported from Canada in February 1961 by Larry Woodell, superintendent of grounds, and M. W. Staples, a retired executive of the Davey Tree Expert Company. When first released, the large, black-spiked squirrels were frequently mistaken for skunks. Today they own the campus. The Black Squirrel Festival started in 1981 as a day-long event held on the Student Center Plaza to introduce new students to campus and community organizations." So *your* black squirrels are no different from, say, the population on the NIH campus in Washington DC. Say, what is it about black squirrels and academia anyway? ;) ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
[IBC] evil squirrels!
I'm pretty certain the unequivocal definition of a species is 'reproductive
isolation'. David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7) Bunabayashi Bonsai On The World Wide Web: http://www.bunabayashi.com email: -----Original Message----- From: Internet Bonsai Club ]On Behalf Of Rich Conley Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2003 4:24 PM To: Subject: [IBC] evil squirrels! If they will not breed with the grey squirrels, they are a seperate species. For speciation to occur, it does not have to be that they can not mate, the fact that they will not breed is just as valid. Geographic isolation is as much an accepted qualification for speciation as genetic differences. They are isolated, so the population is drifting away from what it originally came from. ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
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