[ninlaith]

I think there very well could have been Ents in the Shire. Treebeard said that the Entwives would like the place Merry and Pippin had described to him. And another thing, Merry always liked the forests in the Shire. He said he would run through the tress with his hands reaching up trying to touch the leaves and it was almost like the trees bent over just for him. So I think there were Ents in the Shire.