Kathleen wrote: "Is this snowdrop mania gone too far, into blatant snowdrop stealing?" I went back to the scene of the "crime" today, and now I have a better idea of what happened. There is no connection between the missing snowdrop and the hole. The hole is right over the lid which covers the water meter; now I'm sure it was dug by the meter reader. My guess is that some passing child picked Mr Mustache; I'm not going to begrudge a child picking a few flowers in the excitement of the season. I'm just hoping that Mr. Mustache reappears nest year. Even if an adult had snitched the snowdrop, I'm inclined to accept it as a sign that tastes in gardening in the neighborhood are improving. Jim McKenney