April Means Species Tulips

Species tulips seem to vary in their tastiness, at least according to the rabbits in my yard. The ends of the leaves to the right of the Tulipa persica flowers look like someone took an experimental nibble and decided against them.

Tulipa persica is coming into its own in its new sunnier spot. Photographed on April 25, 2019.

Another species tulip that the rabbits won’t touch is Tulipa tarda. There are a couple of little nibbles, but no serious damage. These are in clusters just north of the Tulipa kaufmanniana.

Tulipa tarda. Photographed on April 24, 2019.
Tulipe tarda will let you know when it’s going to rain—the flowers close. Photographed on April 25, 2019, shortly before it started drizzling.

On the other hand, Tulipa kaufmanniana, a small scarlet species tulip, has been so predated by rabbits that there are two left, and those two plants are more than 50% gone. I do not expect them back next year; they are the last of a good-sized swath that used to really cheer early April. Perhaps these were a tasty hybrid. See Showy Spring Bulbs, about halfway down, for an example of rabbit damage to these tulips.