LOL Bruce, I guess you're right. Glenn,...you bet! Not so much out in the country here but som trees are like this, sheltered in town it's a common thing. I would think a perfect cherry for a sheltered zone 3, zone 4 should be just ideal, zone 5 and up might get a bit warm but I think you should still have cherries, not sure if loaded like this. You can also experiment with other root stock, this picture is Evans on pin cherry, nicely loaded, flowered a little later, the cherries are still on but deer have eaten most on the bottom branches, I put on a trail camera,...they might be back, if so, I'll post later. The cherries are slightly smaller but I find sweeter. Picture from July 2, Evans on pin cherry.

Yep, this is prime migration time. According to hummingbirds.net in the Migration Basics section: "Some adult males start migrating south as early as mid-July, but the peak of southward migration for this species is late August and early September. By mid-September, essentially all of the Ruby-throated at feeders are migrating through from farther north, and not the same individuals seen in the summer." You still should keep your feeder filled for a while - there may be some late migrants coming through your yard and they'll be really hungry. Claire

My yard has numerous mature trees, mostly an open woodland habitat, which is the attractive to Orioles. There is a large Pin Oak right above my deck and bird feeders. Baltimore Orioles have nested in this tree for 3 years in a row. This year I've been watching them more closely and reporting sightings to the Oriole Project with Mass Audubon. Right now, both parents are very busy feeding the babies, and I can hear them squeaking when they are getting fed! Their nest is located at the end of a branch at the bottom of the canopy about 30 feet above the ground. It is a different branch each year, but the nests have been close to each other and the shell of the previous year's nest hangs there for awhile. The nest is an amazing hanging pouch of woven fibers. I watched the female weave the nest this year! I don't feed Orioles, and have reduced the amount of food I put in the feeders because I didn't want to attract a lot of birds to the feeding station so as not to disturb the Orioles. They are very territorial about their nesting area. When the female was incubating eggs, Dad was aggressively chasing away all birds, from Crows and Grackles, to even the little Goldfinches! I can't imagine them tolerating other Orioles near the nest. I don't know how far they nest from feeders or other food sources, but I've observed them several time flitting through the branches and leaves of assorted trees (including Crabapples), probably picking at insects. Here's a couple pics from this year.

Deanna, Do you live close to MPLS? My sister lives in Albertville. I cleaned out 2 10ft high shelves in my closet yesterday. I'm counting that as exercise! Going up and down the little step-stool and making sure I didn't fall with arm loads of junk was more than what I really wanted to do. But, as Sally and her DH feels, I look at it and feel successful! It's been an emotional couple of days. My aunt (my best friend in high school) called yesterday afternoon and they took my uncle (2 yrs older than me) to the Hospice hospital and told her it would be within the week, so I've been putting away my sewing things and packing as we, along with DD and her DH and DD will be driving to MI. I just feel kind of in limbo.....we were so close to them. I'm planning on staying up north and visiting my mom and sister in MN for a couple weeks and my other 2 daughters and their families in IN until the end of June. I got the GGbaby quilt finished and SBSue with the manatee....both pics are in the gallery. I'll let you know when we leave.... Thank you for being my friends....... Sharon