Wow, you do have quite an impressive list of flowers! Do you want to look at my list to see if anything strikes your fancy? The only thing not on the list is pink bees balm, because I had set it aside for myself. But if it interests you, I can trade it for some of your interesting seeds. Let me know! andrea

Sorry I'm still new umm in central Florida we have bald cypress I presume beginning to develope seeds and eventually drop I'm not familiar with the name of oak that lives here but they drop millions of acorns we have pine again not very familiar. I'm new to this whole idea and learning so forgive me please sweet gum grows a lot in my area it's very annoying the spike balls they drop and sicamore also grows plentiful but I don't actually see seeds just sproutlets. Southern red cedar part of the juniperus family (correct me I I'm wrong) just got done pollinating recently. Those are all the trees I know of at the moment that grow here naturally that I might be able to get seeds for. I'll try hard to get them if you're wanting to trade. I normally don't buy my seeds because I can grab several right outside. And when I collect I grab as many as possible for the best chance if at least one growing.

Blaferby, I have seen improvement in yield, etc. when saving and using seed from my own garden. But I don't know how much of that is because of selection and how much is because I learn how to better grow the given variety. I've been seriously saving seeds since 1984. Here's what I would suggest. You can go ahead and use your extra seeds, for as long as you desire. But make a practice of producing some new seed every year that you can. Save each batch separately, and label it accurately. Eventually your original seed will give out. It's always possible that you might get an unintentional cross in a batch of seed. By saving several batches, you better ensure the survival of the original variety. If you really want to go the extra mile, save some of your seed in a sealed jar, in the freezer. This essentially halts the aging process of the seed. I once grew out a squash from seen which had been 25 years in a freezer. It germinated as if it were only a year old, and... I was amazed how my more recent seed stock had morphed over the years. I had essentially narrowed the gene pool, changing the mix of characteristics in the variety. George Tahlequah, OK

Books have been written on this subject. Perhaps you live in an area with no natural cover, and the only birds that can live there are house sparrows. But assuming that this is not the case, and you know there are some species like titmice, chickadees, goldfinches, etc. in the neighborhood, I would stop feeding birds for a couple of weeks. Let the sparrows disperse a bit. Then start with a hanging tubular feeder full of oil sunflower. That should feed the chickadees, nuthatches, house finches. House sparrows will hang around looking for scraps, but hopefully not by fifties and hundreds. Scatter some mixed seed on the ground, very sparingly. Include some sunflower for the cardinals and blue jays, they will feed on the ground, but probably not out of the tube feeder. Use up whatever mixed seed you have, for ground feeding, but when you buy more don't go for the cheapest crap. It will be mostly milo and cracked corn, nothing eats those but mourning doves, house sparrows, grackles, and chickens. Maybe wild turkeys. You would like some millet in there for the white-throats and juncos. Sure, house sparrows will come to any seed on the ground. That's why I said scatter it sparingly. And maybe in a couple of places. If you like goldfinches, you might want to spring for some niger (Nyjer) seed and a special feeder for it. That stuff is expensive but it does not get wasted, nobody eats it but goldfinches and house finches. Keep in mind that there are only about fifteen species of birds that regularly visit bird feeders in the Northeast. Go on line to Cornell Lab of Onithology and look to see what is coming to their feeders, they have a live cam on them.