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