pls8xx and gardenga148: I completely concur that the project should be broken down into 2 broad areas: (1) Land use/land planning for the overall 70 acres (2) Conversion of a small part to residential use I am still contemplating #1. However, I do believe I have settled on an aspect of overall land use. I believe, basically along or near the nature path, an area of sufficient width and composition to benefit bobwhite quail usage. In the old days, farms had small fields with lots of overgrown fence rows. That habitat was ideal for bobwhite quail. I believe I want to lay out the farm along those parameters (knowing that certain desires/goals compete with others). My research, consultation with my pastor (former horitculturalist and quail plantation manager) and personal experience are leading me to a strip approximately 15 feet wide of lespedeza intermixed with something like switchgrass or one of the other native grasses. I believe I want to combine the "habitat utility" of those or similar plants with a stepped (height and width) variety of native flowering, perennial plants, choosing a variety which is consistent with the wildlife management goal and visual appeal goal. There is a substantial likelihood that I would also break up the 28 acre agricultural field with a couple of cross corridors of similar plant material. These are among the types of things I am struggling with now. Comment on layout, continuity, plant selection and the like are what I am seeking. As each of you have said, this is a huge, long-term project and I seek input from others who's experience may bear on the layout, design and plant selection. I understand there are many, many different "right" and "wrong" ways. However, respecting the opinions of those participating in these forums, I would be interesting in reading your opinions and views and why you have those opinions and views. With respect to what I hoped to achieve with the pond. I like water. I like the ocean, rivers (large and small), lakes and ponds. I like to fish ocassionally but what I REALLY like is to feed the fish. It is very soothing. The pond can be an attractive focal point to the landscape. It can provide the "mirrored" images of the foliage surrounding it. And, if need be, it can provide for some irrigation. I have always liked looking out across the water, of sitting on my porch and looking across the water. I liked the idea of driving down the driveway into the house site and looking at the house across the pond as well. Back to another aspect of the overall land use. We initially intended to put the entire property into a pecan orchard, for both looks and future revenue. However, knowing there are always bad years along with good years with any crop, we decided that was not very smart. We also became interested in muscadine vineyards and fruit production. So, we will probably incorporate a bit of the pecan orchard, vineyard and fruit orchard. We want approximately 1/2 to 1 acre vegetable garden site. I believe we also want a "gardening" experimentation site of approximately 1/2 to 1 acre as well as a small greenhouse. I strongly expect we will leave the remaining oak ridge in mostly an as-is condition for the wildlife usage, but, with some modification to make in more friendly to the turkey and quail. I seem to have rambled a bit and apologize. But, with such a large overall project, it is difficult to include all the desires and keep them organized and coordinated. nandina, with respect to the observation of native flora, existing but possibly hidden features, I will try to do some walking and photographing this weekend. One focal point at the northern most point of the property where you see Potential Well Location, there was an old homeplace there. The shallow well still remains there. I expect to clean that well out and hang a usable well bucket there. An arbor is a possibility there. It could be purely decorative or be a "natural" appearing arbor with cultured muscadine vines so one could sit on a draw a bucket of cool well water, pick a few grapes, sit on a wooden bench, eat the grapes and look out over the landscape. One feature I didn't know about until buying and spending time on the farm is that for whatever reason, it attacts substantially more summer and fall breezes than most areas in the surrounding countryside. Thank you all again for your input and I look forward to more comments, critiques and suggestions. I will attach images of some of the wildflowers or weeds growing in the cut-over areas now.

I agree with Rockman, a deciduous plant often works as well as an evergreen for privacy and they're usually much more rapid growers. If you want a few hundred privet, they crop up all over my yard. No kidding, on my 1/3 acre lot, there must be 300 privet seedlings at any given moment. I don't remember seeing privet on the invasives list, but I'd have to say they're one of the worst offenders here on Cape Cod; I spend a lot of time pulling and digging them. Of course, in CT you might not have that problem. They sure are fast growing, reliable, and inexpensive (as in I'd pay you to to come pull them up). Also, they have lovely fall coloring - not bright red, but deep mysterious purple-green. And, the birds obviously love the seeds and the cover they provide. I have a Lindera benzoin (spice bush) that reached its 6' size very quickly from a rooted twig; they are native, have fragrant foliage (so are probably deer resistant) and have tiny yellow flowers in March. Birds, including American Robin, Northern Bobwhite, Gray Catbird, Eastern Kingbird, and Great Crested Flycatcher, eat the drupes. A row of native bayberry might be really nice, too; large swaths of them were recently planted on the campus where I work, and they've reached 6' quickly, forming beautiful banks of nearly evergreen foliage. I've got some in my garden that are a bit of a pest because they're sited too close to perennials - they spread, which might be good for your situation. I envy you the space you have, but not the deer problem.

Lukeifell, I didn't know zone 4 was a desert before the appearance of European settlers! In fact, using your argument...wouldn't the whole northern tier of North America have been a plant-less, tree-less, lifeless desert? What about that pesky fossil record showing ferns and trees and grasses? And those darn mastodons......What about the core samples of the earth that scientists take in prairie remnants...core samples go back many, many hundreds of years, and show what was growing here, say, in the 1200's or so. According to all definitions I have read in the books I have read on the subject.. Native means plants that were here, in North America, pre-dating settlement by Europeans. And it's very easy to tell which plants those are. Siberian Elm isn't one of them. Black Hawk didn't get the Thompson & Morgan's catalogue. Native peoples who were migratory often brought seed from plants around them from one place to another, and planted it, yes. ..but they're still native to this continent. They weren't planting marigolds and cannas. Not that there is ANYTHING wrong with planting them. "Is there an exact number of years that must pass before Black Locust is considered " Native " to a particular State ?" No. If black locust is not native to a state, it's not native to that state. It may be naturalised, but it's not the same as native. If it isn't native, it isn't native, no matter how many centuries pass. If I am wrong, someone please correct me! April

Cathy and O, thanks for responding to my query and identifying the bird. Thanks once again.