Stolen daffodils

Over the years the voles and moles have taken my carefully planted bulbs and absconded with them, and I find them in the most interesting places. One year I planted 200 tulip bulbs, which bloomed, then disappeared. Every single one of them, never to be seen again. Someone told me that the voles love tulip bulbs; they're like candy. Wish I'd known that before I planted them; I would have buried wire mesh in the ground first, or just put the bulbs in pots. I don't plant them anymore.

Daffodils are bullet-proof... and poisonous to voles and moles, so they won't go near them. That's good for me. Every few years I plant a few more, because although the critters won't eat them, they do move them around if they happen to be in the way of one of their tunnels.

For years, each spring I watch to see where the daffodils will sprout. And each year there are surprises. Daffodils in different spots in the gardens, in the orchard, and there's even one spectacular clump at the line between lawn and pasture, out of sight of the house. I'm not even sure it's mine. My neighbor is an avid gardener, and this beautiful clump of bright yellow daffodils might have started out in her yard. Only the voles know for sure.