shade is impossible to describe by words .... some shade will make your glasses dark .. other shade is like a grotto ... every conifer has an annual growth rate ... e.g. a juniper that will grow 6 inches per year ... which would be in full sun .... as you decrease the intensity of the sunlight thru shade... you will reduce vigor .. which means the growth rate ... you will also.. most likely end up with a sparser plant.. rather than full and robust ... nothing will really die in shade [leaving out the dark grotto] .. it just might not perform to your expectations .. sooooo .... find something you like.. that fits the spot.. and give it a try .... and if it works it works.. and if it doesnt.. move it ...you will know within a few years ... ken

oh come on linda.. you arent looking very close... one has cordate leaves.. heart shaped ..... the other has longer leaves ... not quite so round .... and who has enough blues???? ken

I'm not thrilled with blue jays. They are up there on the list of fragmentation related increased levels of predation of birds nests, yes, they do go after other birds eggs and babies. I had a devil of a time with them last summer particularly when nestlings fledged. I had about 5-6 box nesters last summer and warred with the jays over all of them - worse with the ground nesters. They went after the babies every single time. They seem to have some sort of radar for the event. Fortunately I work from home and it's a racket when happening, but I scared the Mom bird just as badly. I have bird feeders and I do my best not to supply what they like for food, such as peanuts and corn in my case. I do have a nut feeder but it's one they can't use. However, jays are also attracted to water so at bird baths which is important to have for all birds. Not much you can do about them, suburban gardens are perfect habitat. Try and provide thickets and dense shrubs to protect smaller birds is about all you can do. Make sure your bluebird box is somewhere near a thick shrubby area, the babies can fly to it when they leave the box. Other people really like the jays. It's humans that have created a better situation for them to hunt in, so not their fault, but dang it stinks to see them going after baby wrens.

Maybe a Great Black-backed Gull? This is a BIG gull with diverse tastes: "Great Black-backed Gulls are supreme opportunists. They follow fishing boats to pick up scraps of bait and discards, take garbage from trash cans and landfills, patrol beaches looking for morsels that wash up from the sea, harry other seabirds to steal their catches, and ruthlessly prey on smaller birds, eggs, and chicks. " Claire