Jeanne What a great re-use and than to take that beautiful Junco photo you are just awesome. I love all your bird photos, especially the red cardinals in the snow! Whatcha gonna plant in the new planter? Sylvia

Wow another WS'er here in St. Louis. Granted you don't live here yet I think it is cool you where here for awhile anyway. So you didn't make it to the top of the Arch. Wow I had no idea that place could be so crowded on Memorial Day weekend. Everyone in my neighborhood tends to leave town so things were quiet here. Going to the top is worthwhile. It is a standard field trip for any school age kid living around here. Though I can't imagine it is anything compared to your John Hancock Center or Sear's Tower. I haven't been to the top of the Arch in years. One of my favorite visits was going up in the evening though it tends to be less crowded during the morning hours (before 10). So I've been to Chicago a few times and once to your gardens, which by the way I think are lovely. It just so happened when I was there they were doing a bulb sale. I brought home with me some gorgeous tulips. My home is about a 20 minute walk away from MBG. The climatron is so wonderful to escape to in the middle of winter. So the gift shop has seeds? I think I knew that yet I tend not to visit the gift shop of places that happen to be in my own backyard. This pass fall I took a stroll through there and gathered a tiny amount of seeds from plants they have an abundance of. Happy to say my joe pye weed and white snakeroot both germinated. -StLGirl

almost all birds prefer natural foods over commercial feed. if you have a source of berrys and fruit and grass or weed seeds in the wild they will go to them first planting some flowers and sunflowers and native grasses will bring in some for the seeds and blooms. Chokecherrys or service berrys or elderberrys or crabapples will attract birds to the blooms and the folige to hide in and the fruit and berrys in fall and winter. also most any flowering plants or shrubs or fruit trees or berry bushes attract insects and most birds eat insects. water is also a big draw for the birds anything from a small pond or a bird bath or even trays or pans of water draw birds. the birds that usually are ground feeders go after grains or bird seed or insects or worms on the ground but like shrubs or brush piles or trees to dart into if anything distubs them. the summer song birds love blooms with necter and also are mainly insect eaters but do llke small seeds and fruits. and even flowering shrubs and trees even without fruit draw the birds.

Excellent photos! I have been trying to photo a few that have been vacating our waterhole in our back pasture. Since water is becoming scarce and waterholes drying up everywhere down here, they are becoming more visible, but my photos always come out blurry. I'll keep trying... Once again, nice shots. Kt