I've had a fabulous turnout of migrating warblers, etc this fall! Or maybe because I'm too pooped to do anything but sit at the window and stare, I'm seeing more this year. I still have hummers, even a few males although it's mostly females and younguns. Around here they say to leave your feeders up until end of November, that it won't keep the ruby-throats from migrating and there are more and more sightings of west coast hummers who end up on the east coast in late fall and early winter. There was an Anna and a rufous hummer in Ohio in the last two years. One showed up in December and stayed until the middle of January. Nobody is quite sure why there is an increase of these hummers but there are more and more reports each year. It would be fun to see a hummer in December but I'm afraid I would worry myself sick! Most of my summer birds are still here. The wood thrush no longer sings (sniff, sniff) but I still hear his little "Pip, pip, pip". I've seen both the summer and scarlet tanagers in the last week - both had molted into their winter colors -why can't they show themselves in their pretty summer attire? I've added two new yard birds this fall - a warbling vireo and a yellow-bellied flycatcher which is one of my rarest yard birds. I've had a nice variety of warblers so far - american redstarts, bay breasted, black-throated green, black-and-white, blackburnian, black poll, blue-winged, canada, cape may, chestnut-sided, magnolia, ovenbird, prairie and tennesee and vireos - red-eyed, warbling, white-eyed, and yellow-throated and a swainsons thrush. I also had a juvenile rose-breasted grosbeak, not sure if it's a migrant or from the pair that I saw this summer. I do love see the fall migrants but I am really going to miss summer ... and the mosquitos and the heat and the drought ....

I'm really glad I checked in here this evening... I live less than a mile from a 23 acre piece of property, that was a horse arena/lounge/restaurant/stables.... it's for sale and it's vacant. by the light of the full moon tonight, I could see clearly just how much there is, of long time composted horse poop, in the cement open bins...soooo much out there. I hadn't even paid any attention to it before but recently I've been craving compost for the yard. I do believe I found my source and don't know if I want to bother to call the realty company for permission. I don't want them to say to stay out of there. maybe I could just go ahead and fill buckets and haul some home, each evening. taking care of grandkids, I always drive right by it.. what started as a surprise that it was for sale in the first place..eventually led to this latest discovery of "black gold"..of course a lot of it is sawdust, from the arena itself. that should be even better, shouldn't it?? I know it's been a couple of years now, since anyone has been in there.

If 15 years old, this must be a hardy fuchsia :-) I would not have cut the plant back so severely. In my climate, hardy fuchsias hold on their foliage well into the early winter and the plant is still photosynthesizing. Photosynthesis generates roots. However, it is on the verge of its dormant period so the need for those roots now is not as acute. I'd leave it outdoors as long as possible - at least until weather got pretty cold. And should it survive this ordeal, I might think twice about the bonsai plans. Bonsais are typically started from very young and quite small plants - that way they are very malleable and can be trained into desired habits. A 15 Y.O., shrub with a 3" trunk is a bit senior for this process :-)

Love the markings on Epigeneium cymbidioides. Nice to have a few blooms after a long" famine". Thanks for sharing.