Subject: Accursed plant predators!

From: R. Beer (bbeer@u.washington.edu)
Date: Wed Jan 20 1999 - 08:24:41 PST

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Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 08:24:41 -0800 (PST)
From: "R. Beer" <bbeer@u.washington.edu>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg169$foo@default>
Subject: Subject: Accursed plant predators!

My condolences...

You don't exactly have plant predators; you have insect predators - this
is raccoon damage. They tear up the pitchers in order to get at the
trapped insects inside. About the only thing you can do is build a cage
around them; once raccoons learn of a food source, they never forget. I
was about to give up on tall Sarracenias because of this - during the
growing season, they even wait till the pitchers are well-developed and
have a good cache of prey before you go out one morning and find
everything shredded.

Good luck!

bob

> Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 15:33:35 -0800
> From: "Kelley, Ian" <IKelley@littler.com>
> To: "'cp@opus.hpl.hp.com'" <cp@opus.hpl.hp.com>
> Subject: Accursed plant predators!
> Message-ID: <F7EC3DCC2E74D211888E0008C7F4630903D5E3@SFREXCH>
>
> I put my windowsill plants outdoors for the winter, on my fire escape in
> my urban neighborhood.
>
> Recently, something has been coming and tearing up the pitchers pretty
> good. The Dioneaea and Droseraea (sp?) are all ok, but the Sarrs. are
> pretty torn up.
>
> I'm not real concerned, as most of the leaves are brown and at any rate
> they will be safely inside during the growing season. Mostly, my
> curiosity is piqued. It does not seem like the "attacker" was intent on
> getting at the contents of the pitchers, as much as the pitchers
> themselves. The tall, splindly ones seemed hardest hit.
>
> Given the locale, I figure the short list of suspects to be :
>
> a cat
> a bird
> a mouse
> a racoon
>
> in descending order of neighborhood sightings. Any cat, bird owners
> with relevant insight? Not a real critical growth issue (thanks, BTW,
> for the replies on the horticultural charcoal thread) but a curiosity
> nonetheless.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Ian
> San Francisco, CA

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