Thanks, everybody! Marg, I don't think it's squirrels, kinda high for them. Rita, unfortunately I found several more buds like this in different areas. Also when I went outside at about 2 to look at this bud a cicada flew out of there, not from the bud, but somewhere in that area. Do they eat buds? Nancy, I thought maybe JBs too.. I don't know.. Right now as they are done with the roses they started on their grapes. Mantis, thanks!! That's probably it, heat and lack of rain. But not all flowers are getting smaller, these two especially. Kay, I think you are probably right. I was liveheading and saw a big green grasshopper on one flower and after I snapped that flower the bud right near it had the same kind of hole. That grasshopper was different from any I saw before (there are a lot here), it had it wings in the form of a blade, kind of. I returned to spray it, and it was still sitting on a daylily. Jumped away and the spray only got on DL leaves. Thanks, Nate. It is painful, my DH can't even do anything with this hand, it's all swollen and it hurts. Hi Natalie4b :)

I think they will do just fine. But you must remember that we still have a couple of cold months to go. As the old saying goes here in Texas if you don't like the weather stick around for a few days. My irises have a bunch of small plants coming up too and none of them have died back yet. Usually the end of January and first of Feb. are our coldest months. The only thing that's going to hurt your irises is if we have a freeze just about the time they get ready to bloom. Then the freeze will get alot of the buds/blooms. I wouldn't really worry too much if I were you. Happy Gardening, Marian P.S. I have alot of plants coming up that should be sleeping too.

Hi Luvstogarden! Sometimes this board is hopping with activity, sometimes rather slow. I grew up, went to college and worked and lived in MI for years, matter of fact, I used to be a Michigan Master Gardener. Two years ago I moved to Colorado. Same planting zone, but SO different due to altitude and arid conditions. I still like to lurk in the Midwest forums, and MI and Ohio being neighbors, and the Columbine (my new state's State Flower) really caught my eye. I so miss fertile soil and an abundance of fresh water! Anyway, here is some advice for your questions. It is best to move and divide bulbs about six weeks after blooming. Just pull them up, separate the 'bulbettes,' rinse them well with water, let them dry, and simply store them in a dry place until the fall. You can then replant them. Keep in mind that the size of the plant you will get from the bulb will be determined by the size of bulb you plant. If the bulb is small, the plant will be on the small size, but in time will grow and become grand. Don't be afraid if six weeks after the bloom fades the leaves are still green. As long as about 1/2 inch of the tip of the leaf has turned brown, the bulb has taken in all the nutrients it needs to grow again next year. Some people will say that you need for the leaves to completely die back, but this is scientifically not true. 1/2 inch of die back is all you need. Something I like to do is cut the green leaves of the bulbs to about 2 inches above ground level after the blooms are gone. As the growing season progresses, you can 'pull' the remaining leaves by simply twisting them and they will pop right off. Lets face it, dying back bulb leaves are unsightly! For the Iris', wait again until at least 1/2 inch of the leaves after blooming, turn brown and dry. You will have can then divide the rhizome, if necessary, and re-plant to a new location. Google how to divide Iris, you will find many videos which will guide you through the process. For the Columbine, you will have to move it, again, about six weeks after blooming. Columbines do not like to have their roots disturbed, so you will have to dig/lift as much soil as you can when moving. Take a hand shovel and determine where you can no longer hear the roots rippling, and dig down at least a foot. Take the whole huge clump and drop it in a prepared hole in another location.

Hmmm, some tought luck Marie! But they shouldn't be as bad as you seem to think. I have grown Ice Follies (and a couple others whose names I have forgotten) for . . . 10 years and they keep coming back. I would think that the large "simple" ones like King Alfred and Mount Hood should be easy too. The ones with pink or peach center cups seem to be more choosy. But I do have to agree the the mini's are the easiest and most prolific. Tete-a-Tete, Jet Fire, Jack Snipe, to name a few. The Poet daffodils (Poeticas) are not hardy here. And my friend in the Daffodil Society says that no straight species daffodil is reliable here either. In general, I would say that most of the daffs at big box stores are fine here. If they have tiny cups, read the fine print as they could have poet blood in them and might not be hardy. Of course, it is way to late to be planting daffodils outside now, but you could still put in lilies(lilium) and tulips. Rick