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Hi Jim & All,
You reminded me that I was going to withdraw Mourning Dove as a dumb =
idea. It could be involved now I suppose but >60 years ago they were =
absent or very rare and some other creature(s), which has/have been here =
all along, must be involved.
DW
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Jim Wolford=20
To: naturens=20
Sent: Monday, December 22, 2014 9:12 PM
Subject: [NatureNS] re wild lily of the valley fruits & dispersers
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
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.
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
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.
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..
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
----- Original Message -----
From: Nicholas Hill
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Sent: Monday, December 22, 2014 12:49 PM
Subject: [NatureNS] Scat
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
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<DIV>Hi Jim & All,</DIV>
<DIV> You reminded me that I was going to withdraw =
Mourning=20
Dove as a dumb idea. It could be involved now I suppose but >60 =
years=20
ago they were absent or very rare and some other creature(s), which =
has/have=20
been here all along, must be involved.</DIV>
<DIV>DW</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; =
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"=20
dir=3Dltr>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
<A title=3Djimwolford@eastlink.ca =
href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">Jim=20
Wolford</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Dnaturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, December 22, 2014 =
9:12=20
PM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [NatureNS] re wild =
lily of the=20
valley fruits & dispersers</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Just a brief comment from one who knows very little.=20
Despite Nick=92s or Dave=92s comments that the berry-like fruits =
of this=20
species are nearly fleshless, they are very widespread and abundant in =
edge=20
habitats as well as forested ones, I suspect these fruits are popular =
with=20
man