Hey, that's why I love posting here, because I'm definitely NOT a know-it-all. I need backup. :D It all happened so quickly (gliding, landing, sitting pretty), but I really think it had a banded tail with darker colors! I know the chest was white, with brown vertical speckles, if that makes sense. I took the camera out yesterday morning, as I will today, but it didn't show up. There is another bird, though, maybe someone can ID for me. Again, not a very good pic, but it's one of a few birds that have been hanging around. They have a weird flight pattern, where they take off from their perch, swoop out (or up) and around, returning to their perch, almost like a boomerang (or like they're snagging some insects in mid-air?). Anyway, I've mentioned it before as having a light yellow front, and you can just see some peeking out from above the tail in this pic. They usually hang around in pairs, and they're very protective of their "area". This is the one and only time any of them have ventured this close to the house, that I've seen, anyway. It was very hot that day, and it definitely wasn't doing the swoop thing. Maybe someone can help! :) Brenda

Newyorkrita, I went out this morning and measured blooms. Majority of them are 2.5", some are bigger and some are smaller. Yorkrose, I personally would never put clematis on this rose, but this is just a matter of what you want. IFor me signifact part of this rose charm is due to its open AIRY growth habbit. These dark chocolate, glossy, arching canes are so beautiful, you really don't want to hide them. This rose looks good all year round, but hips anre nothing special. It has nice fall leaves color and the canes are beautiful in winter. Never gets any kind of disease. I don't know if it suckers, my plant is grafted. Jerome and Robert, Thank you very much for your kind words. Patricia, I am sure your garden is gorgeous. All these perennial flowers and roses, what can be better. Congratulations with you success. Alicia, I don't know. I am on the border of 6B/7a zones and it is happy here. Olga

Hi, mboston. You have some pretty good birds, all right. Okay, so are you thinking the bird in the top picture is not a brown thrasher? I really can't see him well enough to tell, but the reason I'm curious is because most thrushes are not common yard birds at all. So if it is a one of the thrushes, it would really be a nice surprise. It could be a migrating veery, and that would be fun. They are brown, quite plain, but smaller and more compact than thrashers. All of our thrushes seem to be mostly passing through during migration. Wish I had one to show up here! Yes, that's a mourning dove, which is usually the more common one, by far. Nuthatches tend to run up and down the tree trunks, hanging on like little woodpeckers. They have a short tail and look somewhat stubbier than titmice, plus they don't have the crest. And they're not real common in most backyards. I would be ECSTATIC to have one show up here. I've only ever seen them two or three times. Titmice have the little pointed crest, and are so cute and sweet. A common but always adorable little bird. This is almost as good a time of year for many birds as the spring is. We should start seeing migrating goldfinches again soon, and who knows what! Congratulations on all your wildlife, on your fun photos, and on just knowing how special they all are!! Marcia

Wow..these are all so beautiful!!! mel I hope you get to feeling better! mary lu I have followed your progress from when you first posted pictures and your gardens always amaze me! I go to the cottage garden forum often, mostly just read and look... Another one of my favorites is also on the cottage garden forum from 'gottagarden' and her red bed. She posted pictures of her 2nd year w/this bed and as usual my mouth drops when I see her pictures too See the link below Dena Here is a link that might be useful: Red Bed 2nd Year