Dr Gheorgheni's Science Lesson: The Peony
Created | Updated Jun 25, 2017
Dr Gheorgheni's Science Lesson: The Peony
This is a peony. It's a herbaceous perennial, which means it's green and comes back every year. Botanists just like to talk fancy. Happily, the deer don't like to eat peonies, unlike the lilies. We're on guard over those lilies. The mumsers ate all the flowers last year, and we didn't get to enjoy them. We enjoy deer less and less as time goes on. Go away, Bambi.
Elektra loves peonies, because she grew up with them in her yard. She's knowledgeable about them, and informs me that they require ant assistance to open. For that reason, the peonies put sweet stuff – okay, be scientific and call it 'nectar' – on the flower tips to attract the ants. This is the only time of the year Elektra actually likes ants. Otherwise, she sets deadly ant traps around the kitchen.
A zoological note: when you nickname the wildlife, be ready for surprises. We don't know if Petunia the sparrow is a girl sparrow or a boy sparrow. Red the Cardinal is definitely male and heterosexual: we've met his wife. But Chippie the Chipmunk surprised us this week: she's a working mum. The little chipmunks have been running all over the place. Why no pictures? These guys are fast. All you see is tiny tails, upright as flagpoles, zipping through the short grass. We're not even sure how many they are.
Yesterday, I overheard Elektra scolding a baby chipmunk. 'You leave my peonies alone! Don't eat those!' We figured out Chippie Junior wasn't really eating them. Probably just sipping some nectar. Then Elektra wondered if those chipmunks had anything to do with the suspicious success of all her flower bulbs in the backyard – across chipmunk-unfriendly open space – and the conspicuous failure of the ones at the side of the house closest to the porch. We did research.
One informed blogger said yes, they eat flower bulbs. Use mesh, or only plant on the other side of the yard, where they're too skittish to go. Said blogger opined that raising chipmunks was more fun than raising gladiolas, anyway. I agree, but we'd still like to have some flowers. That's okay: out by the trellis, things look promising. And those sunflowers are still working on it.
We also found out that chipmunks dig extensive burrows, three feet (a meter) down, and up to 11 feet (three meters and odd) in length. With bedrooms, loo, kitchen, and rumpus room, no doubt. We are proud to share digs with them. My sister is excited about the discovery: she likes chipmunks, but she's raising kittens right now, so chipmunks are not going to happen.
So, until I catch Chippie's brood unawares, enjoy the peony. It's pretty.
