Weekly observations and questions on nature
I was sitting under a weeping willow in my garden on a beautiful October late afternoon with a clear blue sky when I felt drops like rain coming in little spurts every now and then, not from the sky but from the tree. The drops were tasteless and of the viscosity of water. Is this why the tree is called a weeping willow?
Martin Freyne, Waterford
The name weeping willow comes from the drooping branches. All trees draw water up from their roots, through the trunk and into the branches and surplus is released as water vapour through the stomata (or pores) on the backs of the leaves. I can only wonder if transpiration occurred in the form of liquid or because of the micro-climate within the leaf-mass turned liquid when it left the leaves.
We planted 100 daffodil bulbs in the lawn at school in mid-September, but an animal dug most of them up one night recently. We found some half-eaten bulbs nearby but the rest had simply disappeared. What animal did this and how could we avoid it happening in the future?
Pupils of CBS Primary School, Ennistymon, Co Clare
The culprit was most likely a badger. The best way to stop a recurrence is to surround the area with a low electric fence.
Edited by Michael Viney, who welcomes observations sent to him at Thallabawn, Carrowniskey PO, Westport, Co Mayo. E-mail: viney@anu.ie (observations sent by e-mail should be accompanied by postal address).