Tulip species pollination ecology
Jane McGary (Sun, 28 Dec 2014 11:14:51 PST)
Travis asked,
I am looking for evidence or direct observations of floral visitors
or pollinators of species Tulips in their native habitats. There is
little empirical evidence of the pollination ecology of wild tulip
species. All I could find was a journal paper on beetle pollination
mentioning a few species of tulips as fitting the beetle pollination syndrome.
Kurt Vickery, an expert on wild tulips, noticed this question and
wrote me, sending a photo of beetles pollinating wild tulips. He says
he has not noticed many insects visiting the wild plants. I haven't
noticed any on garden species tulips, but they certainly set seed in
this area (Portland, Oregon).
Travis also mentioned having trouble growing tulips in his southern
Oregon garden because of burrowing predators. This was a big problem
for me when I lived in a vole-ridden country place, but now that I
live in a suburb there are no voles or field mice apparently present,
and I see well-established colonies of commercial tulips in the
neighborhood. I don't buy tulip bulbs for fear of introducing
viruses, but I'm growing many from seed and hope to have some raised
beds built for them this summer. I'll lay heavy-duty woven
groundcloth under the beds to prevent moles (which are a problem
here) from coming into them; the local mole species eats some plant
material, though mostly worms and insects. You can also protect your
tulips by planting them in strongly made plastic mesh pots,
obtainable from water-garden suppliers.
Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA