Claire, I am not sure I've ever heard the term cute associated with starlings . . . ;>) Jane, that series of robin photos is absolutely stunning. I am always interested in the content of photos, but this month there have been a bunch of really lovely photos as far as composition and clarity. I'll submit some photos which are a bit more basic than artistic. I'm not sure how Claire gets such stunning turkey photos. Ours are very wily, and if I open a window or door to take a photo, they jog off in the opposite direction to the nearest shelter. So mine are taken from inside the house, and often through a combination of screen and glass. During the recent snowstorm, our local flock scooted across the road and down into the cornfield. I managed to catch a couple of photos before they disappeared into the evergreens to find shelter. They were moving much faster than usual; definitely looked unhappy about the weather. Arriving down the access drive into the field: From Turkeys in the snow December 27, 2012 And halfway across, scuttling rapidly towards shelter: From Turkeys in the snow December 27, 2012

I love the photos of the foxes and the coyote. The photos of the otters are positively magical, Pixie! What a wildlife treasure to have in your back yard! The hermit thrush is our state bird, but I don't believe I've ever actually seen one. That's a great picture, Claire. As to wildlife around my house, all I've seen lately are the neighbors' two yellow cats that patrol my brushy areas in search of rodents collecting food stores for winter. One cat has a tail and the other doesn't, and they belong to two different families. My old cat seldom ventures out in this weather, and then only for a few minutes, and she never leaves the porch. These two relative newcomers have inherited her hunting grounds.

Hi, I need some experienced advice based on the spread/growth habit of Viburnum lentago (Nannyberry ViburnumÂ). I want to plant two Viburnum lentago shrubs in my yard - I need two to ensure fruiting. I know that (under optimal conditions, when left naturally as a multiple-trunk shrub as IÂll grow them) Viburnum lentago can reach around 18 to 20Âtal; IÂm not sure of the spread on a 20 tall specimen, but I think it would be around 10 to 15Â? My situation is this: I have a single 12 gap in my landscape and a separate 7 gap (which is in heavy shade). I could either both shrubs in the 12 gap or one shrub in the 12 gap and the other shrub in the 8 gap. 1. If I grow the two shrubs in the 12 gap (allowed 6 spread each), would they still grow to a tall height? I want them to grow tall for privacy and I read from one source that when their spread is restricted, they do not grow as large  I hope that not as large means not as wide, net not restricting the height. 2. If I grow only one of the two shrubs in the 12 gap, will the other shrub out-of-view grown in a tight 7 gap in heavy shade produce too few flowers that not much pollination between the two. 3. If I plant the two in the 12 gap only 1 apart, would the two root systems inosculate (fuse, natural graft) so that, in effect, one shrub would be formed that bares flowers from both originals. 4. If I plant the two 4 apart and give them a little more spread (opening the gap to 15 total), maybe since they can spread out freely on opposing ends and only have dense mutual shade in between them. 5. Would you recommend I leave one in the 12 gap and leave the other in the small 7 shaded spot in the corner of the yard, but remove scion wood from the second to be grafted onto the first? I would hope that grafting viburnum spp is not difficult, although I would imagine that this might require some upkeep since they are always putting out more suckers and perhaps crowding out old ones. Thanks, Steve So, to recap, I need two for cross-pollination for fruiting, and I would like at least one of the two to grow around 18 tall.

Tom, there is so much land around me it's crazy. However, finding the places to inspire, that's another story. Wheeler National is a mile away, along with the Tennessee River, but it is so massive and the areas that are accessible to me, they are migratory bird sanctuary or fishing spots along the way. I like deciduous hollies with an evergreen backdrop, which is why I have winterberries and possumhaw. Most of the things I have, it's just a start to the "less lawn" concept I'm after. I plan to have over story, mid story, then the shrubs, etc for the two thirds on each side. Center, I planned on butterfly/hummer/pollinators, but no natural inspiration. Ed has me thinking about the back edge again, as well. I did want to have a sort of screen, to block neighbor's and break the south wind, but also give the birds a place to have distance and cover when necessary. I started checking again and found the Brodie Silicicolas I have, the reliable sources are saying 6-8 feet with a very upright habit. Maybe I can find an area to integrate them in a natural looking, functional way, dunno. I'm just trying to get this started properly before winter sets in here. Not expecting to have finished beds, etc., nor do I have enough plants to do so. I have all that space in the center (everything is coming out), just don't want to lose the whole pollinator area I wanted. There are no bad suggestions, but I guess most folks don't plant these type of areas, so it's hard for them to suggest.