Sorry I didn't come back sooner, Helen. It would be illegal to trap the birds unless you could get the DNR to issue a permit and I haven't heard of that happening. I expect the birds would beat you back. It would be difficult to move them any way since they are flocking birds and a flock would be too difficult to catch and transport at one time. I expect using the pups to chase the birds could make the DNR unhappy. But it would depend on the situation. I would check with the authorities in advance and I know they would forbid it when the birds were nesting. I would be more concerned about injuries to the dogs than to the birds. If you have ever faced an angry duck or goose you know what I mean. Sandy

Hi everyone. I'm new on this forum, but as I have built a rockgarden with 7 round ponds in it, it's always useful to read other people's experiences with fishes and plants etc. I have about 4 goldfish in each pond, and since they're here I v'e lost 2. One dissapeared mysteriously and another one was found floating on the surface...dead.That was in the pond where one of our dogs has taken the bad habit of taking an afternoon dip when it's hot. He still does it occasionally ,but the fish seem to have got used to it. I mean, as soon as the dog is out of the water, I see them swimming around and gasping for air at the surface. The dog must be like a kind monster of Loch Ness to them! Hanne, I would not at all exclude the magpies as the possible culprits. Real vandals is what they are. They rob eggs and eat the new-born birdies in other bird's nest, steal the fruit on the trees and they are often drinking at the ponds. To cap it all off ,they leave nasty droppings on tables and chairs! You could try one of these small ultrasound devices wich we hang in the fruit trees ,and place it next to your pond. I haven't tried this myself, so I don't know if this would have an effect on the fish. Here is a picture of the rockgarden,still under construction.You can see 3 ponds, wich are in fact big tree containers, without holes of course.They are not yet entirely hidden with stone slabs, as I'm waiting for them to settle with the pressure of the soil and the rocks. This picture was taken last autumn.Water is a bit green! Actually,I got carried away and forgot I'm posting this on somebody else's thread. Hope you don't mind,Hanne. Keep up the spirit of Denmark!!! T.

yeah, the red growth on new leaves is very evident in Moonlight so I would have to agree that it is an unlikely contender. Callisto, hmmm. Now this was growing at my college (there was a whole area of HMs) and I recall that it was quite a rich yellow which was emphasised by the boss of numerous amber stamens in the centre. It did fade....but definitely remained pale yellow rather than white. I would say it had slightly frillier petals than yours, Valerie, but it was quite sprawly and lax. I wouldn't discount it right off but.............I am not getting that lightbulb moment.

Thought I'd give you an update on our trip. The first day 5 of them did a wine tour and a friend and I looked for bookstores. We got the muni pass and rode cable cars and buses through upper SF and into the Mission district. We walked more miles than I have ever walked in my life, ate at some great restaurants, and took the BART back to the Ferry Building. We did the Hop on Hop off, and that was probably a good way to get acquainted with the city. We should have done that the first day. We went to Sausalito, saw the Golden Gate and Oakland Bridges, and the Seven Sisters. We spent every evening walking through Fisherman's Wharf. I bet the locals get tired of tourists but we found it fascinating to hear all the different languages spoken around us. We met a young man who had decided to drop out of his master's program and tour the world all by himself. He was from Israel and had climbed part of Mt. Everest, and been to Africa, Antarctica, Peru and several countries in South America, and had been across the northern US starting in New York. We also wondered why we didn't see any flies and mosquitoes there. All that seafood sitting out on tables in the open air and nothing but seagulls around. Very interesting. Wouldn't want to live there, but wouldn't mind going back every few years, especially if we rented a condo rather than stay in a hotel.