Hi Jeff, great to see you are joining the group. I have very little to offer since my gardens are only on their second year but mostly wanted to attend for the socializing. Quite a few of us met last year at Deb's house for the swap. We are glad to have you aboard and I think with Signet hosting, we are in for a real treat. She's going to show us "Hosta Choice Gardens" near her home but even better we get to see her vast array of plants she has collected and nurtured. As for me, I don't know that I have anything you might like but if you have an extra Kentucky Coffee Tree seedling, I'd be happy to take one off your hands. Just an aside Jeff...I'm still hoping for those bladdernut seeds to sprout. My wintersowing didn't do well at all and those pots that did sprout are only just sprouting now so I really don't see the benefit of doing the wintersowing at all. Barb

Thank you for sharing your design and updated ideas... I love, love, love it!!! This is exactly what I was looking for, to DIY my own hummingbird feeder(s.) I've bought so many of them, from Home Depot over the years and they never make it through the season without breaking &/or leaking. Perky Pet did make a tubular feeder (selling for $19.99) but their comments were terrible, mostly on its overall construction, and it looks cheap too. Happy 2022 Gardening, Bird and Hummer Watching Y'all

Is that yellow I see on the goldfinch's wings? They're beginning to develop breeding color! A very good sign of spring. Today the temperature went into the mid-fifties and I actually heard the red-wing songs (some people say "O-ca-ree", I hear "Skreeee"). A few red-wing males have been here for about a month but without a peep until today. Two grackles also appeared today and I heard their soft chit-chit calls; no creaking sounds yet. I'm sure they will all shut up as soon as it gets cold again, as it will, but the trend is definitely toward spring. Halleluja! Claire

here anyway the orioles and tanagers eat the fruit best oranges and watermelon and apples. But the woodpeckers and grosbeaks do eat some. I use the regular grape jelly from the grocery store both the store brands and welch's jelly. I had several jars of homemade apricot jam in the pantry from last year and tried it and the birds enjoyed it. My orioles and tanagers have already left for the year headed south but the grosbeaks are still here and eat raisens and jelly the hummingbirds here leave out in september when it started frosting at night. I take down my necter feeders by the last of september. I was lucky this spring to have a pair of Lewis's woodpeckers fledge 4 young woodpeckers and they loved the jelly and watermelon and really devored the homemade woodpeker blocks made with sorgum and nuts and rasens and fruit bits. They have left recently but hope to see them in the spring. Our seasons here change earlier because of the higher elevations and mountains so we are probably way ahead of you in cool weather and frosts. which starts the summer birds on their way south.