Ah, Judy, the music that is in the words, "dead woodchuck" Dell ----- Original Message ----- From: "Judy Glattstein" <jgglatt@gmail.com> To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 1:11:51 PM Subject: [pbs] Stinky Aroids My Stinky Aroids <http://bellewood-gardens.com/2011/…> - Dracunculus vulgaris and Sauromatum venosum - are in flower. They announce this event with a stench that makes me think there's a dead woodchuck somewhere around here. I've seen carrion beetles on the Dracunculus. However neighborhood dogs - who would otherwise find the most odoriferous, rotting dead deer in which to roll - ignore both plants. Is there some subtle chemical marker that a dog's superior olfactory powers finds lacking? I was discussing this with a friend and she wondered what the carrion beetles get out of this. False advertising, I suspect, and the beetles get nothing. Any comments, observations? Judy in New Jersey with delightful summer weather today - and more rain on the way. _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/