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--Apple-Mail=_AD64450B-00A1-481A-B588-EB300B2C58E3 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 Just a brief comment from one who knows very little. Despite Nick=92s = or Dave=92s comments that the berry-like fruits of this species are = nearly fleshless, they are very widespread and abundant in edge habitats = as well as forested ones, I suspect these fruits are popular with many = species of birds as well as small mammals like deer mice & red-backed = voles & squirrels & what else? Cheers from Jim, currently in Whistler, B.C., and enjoying the naturens = gabs. Begin forwarded message: > From: Nicholas Hill <fernhillns@gmail.com> > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Scat > Date: December 22, 2014 at 1:33:27 PM PST > To: "naturens@chebucto.ns.ca" <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> > Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca >=20 > Seeds are mostly singletons in fruits of 29 fruits, 21 are one-seeded, > 6 two, and 2 three seeded. Seeds range from 2.5 to 3.5mm in long > dimension (roughly spheres) and the grits in the scat, judging from > the photo I posted , look like they are quartz from granite and appear > the same size as the seeds. >=20 > We haven't seen mourning doves yet but there are lots of junco. The > dispersal of wild lily of valley is pretty much done except for > populations in isolated areas, such as where I just got the fruits. > The animal dispersal of native plants is relatively unexplored in Nova > Scotia. > Nick >=20 > On Mon, Dec 22, 2014 at 3:30 PM, David & Alison Webster > <dwebster@glinx.com> wrote: >> Hi Nick & All. Dec 22, 2014 >> I assume you are referring to Mainthemum canadense because Wild >> Lily-of-the-Valley is the usual common name for this. It has two = locules and >> one to four seeds. I suppose seeds may be unusually large if only one = ovule >> is fertilized. >>=20 >> I know almost nothing about bird crops but isn't 3-mm large = grit for >> something the size of a Junco ? That is about the size of grit we = gave >> poultry I think. Is Mourning Dove possible ? They frequent Mainthemum >> habitat and gravel roads.. >>=20 >> On the subject of seed spreading, years ago I found several hoards = of >> fruiting M. canadense plants, piled neatly in the chinks of a = woodpile when >> hauling wood. [I cut firewood into 16" lengths, tier it in the woods = and >> cover the tier top with polyethylene. The cumulative length of tiers = over 33 >> years would be about 8000' and I have found hoards of M. canadense = only >> once.] Either it is rarely hoarded or hoarded in other locations.. >> I suspected Gapper's Red-backed Mouse because they were common = there for >> many years and often seen when I was hauling wood; usually leaving a = nest >> they had made in a tier. Unless the seed coat is unusually hard, Mice = would >> likely destroy the seeds when eating the dried fruit But if they = carried >> fruiting plants away from a patch, hid them in soil or under litter = and did >> not return then dispersal could be effected. >> Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville >>=20 >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Nicholas Hill >> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca >> Sent: Monday, December 22, 2014 12:49 PM >> Subject: [NatureNS] Scat >>=20 >> I wondered if any naturalist had an idea about what possible bird = would eat >> fruits of wild lily of the valley. It was a small scat and its crop >> contained grit about the same diameter..maybe 3mm.. as the small = seeds. >> An aside: the Young Naturalists had a Christmas Bird count in Berwick = and we >> found a coyote scat that was all apple pomace then we found a = squirrel's >> feeding log that had bits of apple scattered about but no seeds. >> Could juncos be dispersing the wild lily of the valley seeds? The = single >> seed takes up most of the fruit interior. >> Nick >>=20 >> No virus found in this message. >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >> Version: 2015.0.5577 / Virus Database: 4257/8781 - Release Date: = 12/21/14 --Apple-Mail=_AD64450B-00A1-481A-B588-EB300B2C58E3 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=windows-1252 <html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html = charset=3Dwindows-1252"></head><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; = -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">Just a = brief comment from one who knows very little. Despite Nick=92s or = Dave=92s comments that the berry-like fruits of this species are nearly = fleshless, they are very widespread and abundant in edge habitats as = well as forested ones, I suspect these fruits are popular with many = species of birds as well as small mammals like deer mice & = red-backed voles & squirrels & what = else?<div><br></div><div>Cheers from Jim, currently in Whistler, B.C., = and enjoying the naturens gabs.<br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded = message:</div><br class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote = type=3D"cite"><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span = style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>From: = </b></span><span style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica';">Nicholas Hill <<a = href=3D"mailto:fernhillns@gmail.com">fernhillns@gmail.com</a>><br></spa= n></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica'; = color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>Subject: </b></span><span = style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica';"><b>Re: [NatureNS] = Scat</b><br></span></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: = 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span = style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>Date: = </b></span><span style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica';">December 22, 2014 at = 1:33:27 PM PST<br></span></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span = style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>To: = </b></span><span style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica';">"<a = href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a>" = <<a = href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a>><br= ></span></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span = style=3D"fo