Several things about Joe's tulip post prompt me to comment. First, it's worth mentioning that there is no such thing as Tulipa gesneriana except in the nothospecific sense. Another thing: are tulip breeders trying to use the blue base of certain tulips to breed a truly blue tulip flower? But more interesting to me was his comment about the fauna of his garden. He wrote: "a green heron has adopted my garden (the low part) as its own. The frogs, mosquito fish, and small snakes are a bonanza this spring;" Joe, didn't you get the word order wrong? Didn't you mean that the fish, frogs and small snakes are a bonanza for the heron? And are the mosquito fish the sort which will burrow into the mud as the water evaporates and survive in a little capsule (somewhat as those west coast frits might do) until the next rain? Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where the garden has plenty of toads but no frogs right now. My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/