Deer Country: Disappearing Crocuses

Crocuses on Monday

The deep purple crocuses caught my attention Monday.  The day was cloudy—we had a few flurries—so the crocuses sulked a bit and didn’t open, as the first photo shows. 

When I went out sunny Tuesday morning to do some late-winter cleanup of that bed, I thought the crocuses would welcome me with open petals.

Alas, our local deer had struck overnight and browsed the crocuses to the ground, as you can see in the lower-right corner of the second photo.  But if you look again at the second photo, you’ll see some yellow in the background—daffodils in full bloom—unbrowsed by our local bambits.

Tuesday's crocus stubs at bottom right

For springtime blooms in Deer Country, think daffodils, which deer normally shun.  To invite deer to a banquet, think crocuses and tulips, deer favorites that, along with hostas and pansies, sometimes are called “deer candy.”

I didn’t get to enjoy our purple crocuses this year, but I did walk around the front yard and cut a handful of daffodils to take into the house.  Ellen was at her quilt-guild meeting, so I put the daffodils in a simple vase and put it on the kitchen table.

Would she notice?

A couple of hours later, she came home.  As she walked into the kitchen, she looked at the vase of yellow flowers and said, “Oh, daffodils.  They’re beautiful.”

Beautiful.


Will she notice them?