No answer except I think it sounds really cool !

it really was something to see. and it did not happen again in the rains. my esteemed gardening friend said they may be coil worms, frequently found in house plants, and probably came from the mulch. not great,but probably not a threat.
we've never really had squirrels in the yard, but now we have a rambunctious trio who are popping up all over, and yesterday i watched as a rabbit nursed her young.
last week, two adolescent bear were playing slip and slide on our "lawn". it was hysterical. i guess we have become the nursery....lots of springing, hopping, fledging going on.

two adolescent bears? where in ma do you live?

hi, we live in whately, my friends in florence/northampton see bear more frequently than i. at our house, . we try to let the bear go about their business in the yard, afterall, they were here first.... they tend to use the small weeping cedar as a tummy scratcher and ran off with a 50lb bag of holly tone. (now i keep it in the garage).life is good.
in addition to the wildlife, we are blessed with some very fine plant shopping in whately...NEWFS/Nasami, Bay State Perennials (has a few lathyrus vernus) and Lasalle Florists for annuals.
all this rain is making for lots of lush green-ness. almost forgot about the vole devastation;)

my daughter goes to Mt Holyoke, and is living in Northampton this summer. I never pass by a good nursery. Where is Bay State Perennials. Know of any others/

hi there, sorry to be late and quick.....
in whately
http://www.baystateperennial.com/
in amherst
andrew's greenhouse
http://local.yahoo.com/details?id=25685789
and annie's
http://www.anniesgardenstore.com/

i work in noho so am more familiar with the gardens at smith (although i'm sure MHC has lovely gardens, too), something you may want to see, as well.

take care,
diane

Oh my... the voles were SO bad this year. I felt like I was sinking whenever I walked on the grass (which is really struggling).

thanks for the suggestions. I don't think Mt. Holyoke's gardens are prettier, actually, and I've learned not to compare the two places!