Sorry didn't chance to get back here. I go through so many forums on GW that I have to make the "rounds". LOL! John - we have alot of crapes in the landscape here in the Philly/Delaware County area. These are no longer die-backs in city locations (meaning they don't die back to the roots and they sprout their new leaves from the canopy) and are seen more and more in the landscape at 10 - 15ft tall and getting bigger every year. People are even planting them in their front yards away from the house. There are all sorts here - particularly ones like the popular and hardy "Natchez", "Sioux", "Tonto", etc. I think what has helped is that the lowest temps here haven't gotten below 0° F since 1994. I have a "Victor" crape which is a dwarf and it literally hasn't grown to more than 3ft in its 14" container. It's starting to bloom now itself. The figs were very slow to sprout due to the very cool spring but I am looking at expanding the selection. I bought my sister and brother-in-law a Celeste last summer for in-ground, had them plant it at the SW corner of their house, it made it through the winter with protection and is growing pretty well in the heat. Haven't been by there to see what's happening with it but as long as it is establishing itself (it was a 4ft baby), that's fine with me. As for amount of sun - Since I am up about 150ft or so in the sky with nothing to block the sun like trees or buildings (other than the hills about 5 miles to the NE of me, although I'm on a hill myself about 400ft above sea level), in summer, I get sun from sunrise at ~5:50am until about 11 am (or later for those plants that have branches hanging over the rail that can catch a couple more hours of "rays" before the sun goes up over and behind the building). I have seen sun on an extended branch of my tropical hibiscus until almost 1pm. And since I am on the end on the western side of the building, I can get about 3 - 4 hours more of afternoon sun over on the western corner of the balcony as it sets (from about 4pm until sunset ~8:30pm or so). Thus I try to put some of the real sun lovers over on the western end of the balcony so they can get sun in the front and later, sun from the side and rear during summer. Only thing is that it is windy over on that side. Good luck with the camera! I hope to eventually get a pic of my opuntia humifusa in bloom next year. It's growing quite a few pads now. I've overwintered it outside the past 2 winters in a clay pot (my only plant in a clay pot) and it shrivels down during winter and plumps back up each spring. I think that it needs more sun earlier in the season to get the bloom triggered though... something I have to think about with respect to where to place it. Cady - I've had a number of evergreens over the years - mostly different pierises as it's one of my favorites. I actually have a minature one out there right now that is new and it's sortof lost in the shade of other stuff. My honeysuckles are semi-evergreen but what usually gets things out there are the dessicating winds in late winter. Even with some of the protection schemes, it has been difficult finding a good spot to put evergreens where they're not in an eventual wind tunnel. But I'll keep experimenting! I have a heuchera this year and those are supposed to be evergreen so I'll see how that goes. You mention willows and I have a pussy willow (Salix discolor) out there that has been forming its catkins for next year.

Be sure to read reviews before purchasing, and try to get an infra-red. The Non-typical Cuddeback Capture worked great for awhile, but eventually the local critters grew tired of going blind from the flash and began avoiding the area. I moved the camera and caught some of my former victims by surprise the first night but they wised up even further and with this latest camera relocation; I've had zip. As for that suspected jaguar thing, I just don't know what to think. I keep finding scratched up places on the ground-just out of camera range. I had read that researchers in Mexico use skunk glands and Calvin Klein's Obsession to lure suspicious jaguars close enough to their hidden cameras for photos. So, I bought some Obsession and sprayed it on the ground in front of the camera two days ago. Today, near my camera, but off to the side, I found another scrape and there was that same skunky, rank, salty smell I'd smelled before near the scratch marks by the pond several days ago. No photo of course. The other animals stayed away as well, I noticed. There's probably a twitter about me out there: "Danger: bright flash. Avoid plastic boxes" 3-9-09, Picazo Farm logging road, possible ground scrape From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat Unless I actually get a photo I can't say for sure what's leaving the tracks and scrapes. I sent some of the track photos to several big cat "experts" but only two answered, giving vague, non-commital answers that seemed to indicate they were as mystified as I was.

Just luck? Right time, right moment? Nah. These photographers knew what to do with the luck and the moment. Aren't we glad they did!

Not that I am aware of, wcgypsy. I finally broke open the original one for them, but it was old when I put it out, and turned out to be completely dried inside. I tossed it. This fresh one, which I put out the last week of December, had liquid sloshing around. I think the squirrel drank that after opening it. It is funny that this is the first time I actually saw the squirrels working on the coconut--but there was evidence that they had been pulling off the outer fibers. I think once I put out the bird seed in the morning, they prefer to just chow on fast food.