Big Boy
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Big Boy
- From: H* D* <h*@CapAccess.org>
- Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 10:32:42 -0600 (MDT)
This morning I decided to remove some yellowing foliage from a stand of
Iris pseudacorus, the yellow Water Iris, that has otherwise seemed very
happy in one of the dryest spots in my garden. The first two leaves that
I pulled on came off handily; the third required a little tug. To my
surprise, a good-three-inch long rhizome came up with this final tug.
Inspection showed it to be completely hollow, but dry and not in the
least bit mushy. I looked down at the hole in the ground between the
remaining rhizomes, and there, calmly poised, was one of the largest
worms I've ever seen, almost a half inch in diameter, and more than two
inches long. It made no motion at all. I reached down and grasped it
between two fingers for a closer look. It was quite beautiful in a sort
of revolting way, recalling the time I told my late friend Marian Loar
about a gift of seven pet mice (she replied, "They must be the cutest
things, that is, if you can stand to look at them"). The worm's color
was close to what I've always called Ashes-of-Roses. I inquired of it if
the other rhizomes contained relatives, but received no reply.
I really don't like to be ignored, and, in response to this lack of
cooperation, I placed the worm on the ground. One should always nip
rebellion in the bud, and, in this case, I put my foot down, so to speak.
My question is, is (er, was) this an iris borer? I never realized they
could become so large. And my experience with borers in bearded
iris (and I have had plenty) is that they always leave a mush as
they destroy the rhizomes.
Who was this tenant? And what should I do in case it was not the only
one in the garden?
I'll be grateful for help.
Harry Dewey, Beltsville, Maryland, zone 7a
Listowners, Alpine-L, the Electronic Rock Garden Society:
Active: Louise Parsons & Harry Dewey; Quiet: Eric Gouda & Alexej Borkovec
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