The Tulip Wars

As we started out on our hike last Sunday, we noticed something strange in the front yard:

Can you recognize the furled, pointy leaves sticking out of the still-dormant grass? There are actually two in the photo above — you have to look carefully sometimes to find them.

Those are tulips, and they were popping out of the lawn all over. Hmm … any guesses on how they got there?

Squirrels, I tell ya. Goddamned, no good squirrels.

So it looks like they got a hold of a lot of our tulips last fall before I covered them up. According to the post that I just linked you to, I planted 100 tulips last fall. Well, I counted the ones that are up so far, and there were 13. Not good.

So I spent yesterday afternoon doing a search and rescue over the lawn, pacing up and down with my eyes on the ground to dig up all the tulips that the squirrels had replanted. Some were easier to find than others:

By the time I was done, I had 17 in my bucket to replant. Now, there's no telling if these are all my orange ones or if they came from a neighbor's looted garden — not until they bloom, anyway. And there's no real guarantee that they'll handle being moved and still flower, but I figured it was worth a shot. I gave the transplants some water and am hoping for the best. Because it's so warm, the new ones are a little droopy in the dry soil, so I think I'll have to give them a little shot of water each afternoon for them to have a fighting chance. While I was out there I found two more in the grass that I had missed, which brings my grand total of tulips in the perennial border to 42 out of the 100 I planted. 

I suppose should have fashioned a little chicken wire cage around each of the bulbs I transplanted so that the squirrels won't be able to get at them again, but even I don't have the patience for that kind of tedium. At dinner tonight we talked about repurposing Jonas' leprechaun trap for squirrels, but having to bait it with tulips is a bit beside the point. More effective might be Tiegan's archery skills if she keeps practicing this summer. 

Anyway, the daffodils and Siberian squill seem to have fared much better. I don't think quite all of those came up either, but I got bored of counting. That will be easier to do when things are in bloom rather than just shoots, so it can wait.