Alvin brings up a good point, something which I've learned too - potting everything of the same plant type (ie phals) in the same media really saves a lot of heart ache! Just an echo to whichever parties said this - your watering habits and humidity conditions should probably dictate the media you use, rather than the other way around. But in regards to your original question, don't worry about phals going from bark to sphag - I've done sphag to bark and bark to sphag and they don't really care at all...just do it when they're root tips are growing (usually when there is nice summery light / artificial CFL lighting). Whereabouts in Canada are you, fellow canuck? :) Also, for repotting of phals, I mainly do it if the stem gets too long - ie over time, it loses leaves and it becomes really spindly, so I just sink the entire plant when I repot so I get it nice and low again. I've also repotted randomly, either because the pot broke, or the plant was stalling (aka no reason at all) and nothing has died yet. But these results may not be typical so don't take my word for it! Just realize that these plants are pretty hardy :) Mehitabel - I don't think there is harm in repotting a rootless phal, since it could probably care less about what media it is in (it has no roots to feel the media). In fact I have repotted a rotten phal previously in bark to sphag(I over watered in winter cause I thought the bark was too dry...in reality the plant was underlit and rotting) and got root growth, although I don't know whether it was because of the change in media (I always have this feeling that moist sphag creates a more humid environment compared to bark...) or the increase in light because it was closer to spring that elicited root growth. The repotting definitely didn't HARM it.

The insides of the canes are a nice green/light brown colour. Very much alive, it looks like. I don't think the canes are waxed. I got these from the same nursery I got my Therese Bugnet from and that one's doing just beautifully out front. The canes are green all the way down, save for some off-colour blotches here and there that I assumed were natural variations in the wood. Any darkness you see in those pics at the bottom is soil covering the base of the plant. All in all this looked like a very healthy little bush when I picked it up, save for some blackish tips that I will know to look for in the future. It was sold in a canvas and plastic-wrapped bag with the canes sticking out the top and the earth was very moist within. It has grown about 8-10 inches I would estimate since then, but still no leaves or anything exciting. :(

Patti, for what it's worth - I have 3 tamed cats that were truly feral and not socialized cats that were just dumped and left to fend for themselves. Zeke, Scamper and Finnigan - who had to be "boxed" with anesthetic gas in his carrier before the vets could work on him. And it was a year before I could touch Scamp. If you've tamed her enough to make a pet of her, then trust me, you can bring her indoors. I think you'd be surprised at how dogs and cats can live together if they are introduced with the proper techniques. Actually it's almost always the cats who eventually rule the dogs - not the other way around. But it all depends on how you introduce them. If you're serious about protecting both the cat and the wildlife, you should consider trying to keep her indoors. I think you might surprise yourself. Assuming the worst defeats you before you even start.

My phoebes had skipped a year of nesting in their usual place (above the porch light fixture near my office door). My mirror set-up had scared them away. I should have realized that birds do not "like" mirrors -- but I didn't think about it at the time. I did see a bird pecking all day at the mirror, looking behind it, then pecking angrily at it when seeing the "intruder" again. That bird came back the next day to peck at the mirror again. I felt sorry for him wasting his time. But, I didn't think about the phoebes reaction being the same. So, they never nested there last year. I removed the mirror, but they still did not return to nest there this spring. Instead, they nested on another side of the house -- under our raised deck (same as last year). But, after the 1st brood was fledged -- THEY MOVED BACK TO THEIR OLD NESTING SPOT! So, the phoebes apparently got fed up with the disturbances created by our toy poodle (who is let out onto our raised deck several times a day.) The poodle would be walking directly over their nest, and possibly pissing over their nest. The nest building started May 25, 2021 and completed on the 30th or 31st. The mother was sitting on the nest on May 31, and there were 2 eggs in the nest. So, the first egg was likely delivered on May 30. By June 3, there were 5 eggs. All the eggs hatched on June 17 -- so, exactly 2 weeks after the last egg was laid. Interesting that all eggs hatched on the same day, even though each egg was laid a day apart. When I peeked, all the shells were gone. So, even tho I didn't see it, I assume that the parents removed all the egg shells. I also see the parents flying away with baby-bird poop. The poop looks like worms, and the parents carry it away from the nest. They either drop it or eat it (it is undigested food). Today is June 23, and the parents are often very busy bringing food. The bay birds are still too small to see without using a mirror over the nest. Here is a link to a very interesting article from 1937, detailing the observations of nesting habits of phoebes as studied over a 3-yr period. A few interesting details: Female does all the nest building. Incubation starts at varying times - sometimes after 3rd egg, sometimes after 4th, sometimes after 5th. The male apparently does none of the incubation. After fledging, the young birds remain close to the nest, getting farther way as the days pass. Both parents still feed the young after they fledge -- feeding them for periods of up to 18 days. Reliance on the parents gradually decreases. The parents may eventually show harsh treatment of the young to get them to go out on their own. Interesting. https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v059n03/p0410-p0417.pdf