Re: Varmints
Glenn Breayley wrote:
> We also have snakes adapted to feeding on moles. I find the question of
> whether the moles - & the gophers - have an inherent beneficial role in the
> ecosystem an interesting one. NZ doesn't have them & survives quite happily
> ( I can see Moira reading these letters with a quiet, satisfied smile ).
Well, like "Holy Ireland" we don't have any snakes either - but then we
don't naturally have any appropriate animals to feed them on, though man
has now provided imported fieldmice and rats. Every so often a snake
hitches a ride in a container, mainly from Australia, but so far none
has succeeded in establishing itself, thanks to the diligence of our
Customs department. We have already so many headaches from unfortunate
importing in the past (both involuntary and, also too often voluntary)
that we are now extra twitchy. Among the idiocies of the past was
importing mustelids, especially ferrets, to control the burgeoning
rabbit population (also imported, of course). Alas, they found our very
innocent native birds MUCH easier pickings.
The main rod for my back in the absence of burrowing mammals in my
garden is the foraging English blackbirds (the curse of lost Eden
extends even here!). If one uses a rich organic mulch which brings
earthworms up near the surface these pests can easily destroy a
recently-planted bed, throwing all the seedlings out on to the path with
their scratching within a few hours. Fortunately, it is reasonable easy
to thawart them if one scrupulously covers every vulnerable bed with
netting as soon as planted and at least they do go on holiday about
midsummer, not returning until early winter, thank goodness, so it is
only a seasonal irritation.
It
> is thought the reason many SA bulbs have evolved to produce multiple
> bulblets is so they can drop off to keep the plant going as the moles drag
> the main mother plant away. Thus they even help spread them. The gardeners
> rule of thumb for planting bulbs has been twice as deep as the bulb is high.
> I've been astounded however at some of the depths you'll see bulbs throwing
> shoots up from when you see them in washouts. Some of them can go a good
> 25 - 30 cm. In a natural setting I guess its all in balance.
I remember in my Kenya days trying to dig out a wild glad from a vlei
and giving up having gone down more than 30cm and got nowhere near the
bottom!
If I remember rightly some of your bulbs do actually have contractile
roots which help to pull them further into the ground each year. I guess
this is all a means of escape from the hungry mouths.
One problem with having no moles to reduce them is that some SA bulbs
reproduce quite excessively here and are hard to control ( I had not
thought of a reason for this previously). Fascinating how nature is
balanced when not interfered with. Man is rarely as clever as he thinks
when he alters with her arrangements.
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata (near Wellington, capital city of New Zealand)
