What would snip off he heads of tulips as they are about to bloom? My
mother thinks it is squirrels but I thought I once heard of some sort of
worm/bug/catipillar that did that -- anyone know the correct answer? The
buds are never eaten. They're just lying next to the flower, snipped so
close to the top that they can't even be put in water to bloom.

Giselle (I just can't picture squirrels out there with teeny little scissors
massacring tulips for no particular reason...)

Definitely Squirrels! I've seen them. I tried the natural way of
dissuading them (mixture of cayenne pepper and butter to hold it in
place right under the blooms) I think they liked that even better.

After that I used automotive grease under there (just don't compost the
stalks afterwards) haven't had a problem with them since.

"Fragile Warrior" Volfie wrote:
What would snip off he heads of tulips as they are about to bloom? My
mother thinks it is squirrels but I thought I once heard of some sort of
worm/bug/catipillar that did that -- anyone know the correct answer? The
buds are never eaten. They're just lying next to the flower, snipped so
close to the top that they can't even be put in water to bloom.

Giselle (I just can't picture squirrels out there with teeny little scissors
massacring tulips for no particular reason...)

Rabbits too. I have seen them do exactly that and have not bought
any tulips after that disheartening experience.

Jean B.

Robert Chambers wrote:

Definitely Squirrels! I've seen them. I tried the natural way of
dissuading them (mixture of cayenne pepper and butter to hold it in
place right under the blooms) I think they liked that even better.

After that I used automotive grease under there (just don't compost the
stalks afterwards) haven't had a problem with them since.

"Fragile Warrior" Volfie wrote:

What would snip off he heads of tulips as they are about to bloom? My
mother thinks it is squirrels but I thought I once heard of some sort
of worm/bug/catipillar that did that -- anyone know the correct
answer? The buds are never eaten. They're just lying next to the
flower, snipped so close to the top that they can't even be put in
water to bloom.

Giselle (I just can't picture squirrels out there with teeny little
scissors massacring tulips for no particular reason...)

Deer and woodchucks.


Jean B. wrote:

Rabbits too. I have seen them do exactly that and have not bought any
tulips after that disheartening experience.

Jean B.

Robert Chambers wrote:

Definitely Squirrels! I've seen them. I tried the natural way of
dissuading them (mixture of cayenne pepper and butter to hold it in
place right under the blooms) I think they liked that even better.

After that I used automotive grease under there (just don't compost
the stalks afterwards) haven't had a problem with them since.

"Fragile Warrior" Volfie wrote:

What would snip off he heads of tulips as they are about to bloom?
My mother thinks it is squirrels but I thought I once heard of some
sort of worm/bug/catipillar that did that -- anyone know the correct
answer? The buds are never eaten. They're just lying next to the
flower, snipped so close to the top that they can't even be put in
water to bloom.

Giselle (I just can't picture squirrels out there with teeny little
scissors massacring tulips for no particular reason...)

Deer get mine as soon as they are ready to bloom.

Ellen

Try sprinkling blood meal around plants. The only problem is you have
to replace after the rain.

Marv-Montezuma, IA
http://community.webshots.com/user/vmwood

Jean B. wrote:
Rabbits too. I have seen them do exactly that and have not bought
any tulips after that disheartening experience.

Jean B.

Robert Chambers wrote:

In my neighborhood, we call squirrels 'little *******s' for what they do to
the tulips.

""Fragile Warrior" Volfie" wrote in message
...
What would snip off he heads of tulips as they are about to bloom? My
mother thinks it is squirrels but I thought I once heard of some sort of
worm/bug/catipillar that did that -- anyone know the correct answer? The
buds are never eaten. They're just lying next to the flower, snipped so
close to the top that they can't even be put in water to bloom.

Giselle (I just can't picture squirrels out there with teeny little
scissors massacring tulips for no particular reason...)

"Jack" wrote in message news:_rzfe.3335$w56.2810@trndny08...
In my neighborhood, we call squirrels 'little *******s' for what they do
to the tulips.

Okay, squirrels it is. Does anyone have a theory about the snipping of yon
tulip heads by the miserable, fuzzy tailed rodents?

Giselle (is it just some teen-squirrel rite of passage perhaps? Akin with
smacking mailboxes with baseball bats and TPing trees for human youth?)

"\"Fragile Warrior\" Volfie" wrote in
:


"Jack" wrote in message
news:_rzfe.3335$w56.2810@trndny08...
In my neighborhood, we call squirrels 'little *******s' for what they
do to the tulips.

Okay, squirrels it is. Does anyone have a theory about the snipping
of yon tulip heads by the miserable, fuzzy tailed rodents?

Giselle (is it just some teen-squirrel rite of passage perhaps? Akin
with smacking mailboxes with baseball bats and TPing trees for human
youth?)




Are the tulips mostly red shades? Around here the 'furry-tailed rats' are
really attracted to reddish objects, mostly my neighbor's lily buds and
ripening tomatoes.

"\"Fragile Warrior\" Volfie" wrote in
:


"Jack" wrote in message
news:_rzfe.3335$w56.2810@trndny08...
In my neighborhood, we call squirrels 'little *******s' for what they
do to the tulips.

Okay, squirrels it is. Does anyone have a theory about the snipping
of yon tulip heads by the miserable, fuzzy tailed rodents?

Thanks a lot. I was looking forward watching the conclusion on CSI: Animal
Planet. j/k :-)

Giselle (is it just some teen-squirrel rite of passage perhaps? Akin
with smacking mailboxes with baseball bats and TPing trees for human
youth?)

"Salty Thumb" wrote in message
news:srvge.9881$hb1.7916@trnddc05...
"\"Fragile Warrior\" Volfie" wrote in
:


"Jack" wrote in message
news:_rzfe.3335$w56.2810@trndny08...
In my neighborhood, we call squirrels 'little *******s' for what they
do to the tulips.

Okay, squirrels it is. Does anyone have a theory about the snipping
of yon tulip heads by the miserable, fuzzy tailed rodents?

Thanks a lot. I was looking forward watching the conclusion on CSI:
Animal
Planet. j/k :-)

Sorry. Should have put a *spoiler* on the post.

Thanks for the heads up on squirrels and red. I never put the 2 together,
but now that you mention it .... Those miserable rats with fuzzy tails
chomped off my red tulips before they opened, regularly pick tomato after
tomato, taking 1 bite and leaving the rest on the ground to rot, and devour
the inside fruit of my my Chinese lanterns just as they color up. Danged
varmits!!!!

Suzy O, Zone 5


"Richard" wrote in message
2...
"\"Fragile Warrior\" Volfie" wrote in
:


"Jack" wrote in message
news:_rzfe.3335$w56.2810@trndny08...
In my neighborhood, we call squirrels 'little *******s' for what they
do to the tulips.

Okay, squirrels it is. Does anyone have a theory about the snipping
of yon tulip heads by the miserable, fuzzy tailed rodents?

Giselle (is it just some teen-squirrel rite of passage perhaps? Akin
with smacking mailboxes with baseball bats and TPing trees for human
youth?)




Are the tulips mostly red shades? Around here the 'furry-tailed rats' are
really attracted to reddish objects, mostly my neighbor's lily buds and
ripening tomatoes.