Good Morning Idylls! Well, what a pleasant visit to the Idylls this a.m.! You guys had me laughing and smiling all the way through...what fun pics! I knew Deanne was feeling her oats as soon as I saw that pic of her holding the little maple tree! You looked so cute and what a mischievous look on your face..."Psst...Mary...look at this little maple...isnt it lovely?" "What?!?...smuggle it on the plane, Moi?!?...*Never*!" LOL! Youre too funny! Loved all the beautiful pics of your spring garden and your Sutherland Gold is doing wonderfully! I hacked mine way back last fall and much to my relief, is also doing well this spring. Its a gorgeous shrub and Im very happy with it too! Thank you Mary for sharing the pics of your get together. It was wonderful to see all your smiling faces and it looks as if fun was had by all. :-) Really enjoyed the spring walk through Maries garden too. The unfurling fronds on your Maidenhair fern were wonderful to see...nature is just astounding, isnt it? BTW, is that Bruces White phlox divaricata in the one pic with the grape hyacinths? What a gorgeous picture. I just planted Bruces White in my garden last year and they are still very teeny tiny plants, but one managed to flower and the flower looks very similar to those in your pic, so Im hoping yours is p. divaricata too. If it is, I am in for a real treat when my plants mature! Marian so glad you are feeling better dear friend! :-) I can hear the laughter in your voice and the smile on your face and it warms my heart! BTW, dont forget to let me know what you want to do with the myosotis...i.e. plants/seed, now or in the fall. Babs sorry to hear Ryans physical was worrisome. Like Marie, I also have a lazy eye (which the doctors didnt treat), but I have been lucky in that it has not affected my vision. Most of the time I dont even notice it, but if I am over tired, I do lose control of the muscles in that eye, which is more embarrassing than troublesome. Also, when I get pics taken, often I look like I am drunk and thats because that eye will close if there is a flash or the sun is too bright. Anyway, have you talked to the doctor yet about the risks and or the benefits of having surgery to correct the problem? Well Im sure you are doing your research (youre such a good mom) and I know you will make the right decision for Ryan, whatever that turns out to be. Re the blood in his urine. My son had that too, when he was just about Ryans age. Cant remember a lot about it anymore, but I do remember the doctor referring to it as "spilling sugar?" He told me that it was not uncommon in children and serious joggers too! I took the doctors word for it and as it turned out by the following spring Paul didnt seem to have the problem anymore. In retrospect, I wish I had been more informed and I think you are wise to find out more abut it too, if you can. In fact, if you *do* find out, I would be curious to know why it happens too and why, as the doctors say, "its nothing to worry about". Michelle your garden is looking lovely too! So tickled that T.E. has made an appearance at your house. BTW, I meant to tell you before, I like my street name too! LOL! It was great when I had the biz cause we used my home address as the biz address and you would be amazed how much confidence it instilled in our clients...LOL! Honey! It was great to see you! :-) And I am in love with your Acalypha! A few of us garden gals are making our second trip to Sunrise Nursery this week and I am definitely going to be looking for that plant! Cant wait to see how you combine it in your always lovely pot combinations! Sorry to hear your landscape designer was such a disappointment! Stick to your guns and/or find another landscaper. It makes me very unhappy when I hear about designers who dont listen to their clients...its just wrong! I always think of one of my ex-bosses clients, who loved the color red. I always felt sorry for him because every year he would ask to include red in his garden and every year my boss would refuse to listen (just because *she* hated the color red)! I thought that was a terrible thing to do to a client and always thought she should have compromised. I mean, Im sure there was some way she could have included some red in his garden, without insulting her own tastes. Okay, Ill get off my soap box now, it just that not listening to your clients needs and wants has always rubbed me the wrong way...I find it insulting! Of course, you hire a consultant because you want their knowledge and experience, but that doesnt mean that the *client* cant have good ideas too! BTW...we will be seeing lots of pot combinations here, wont we? Please? I so loved that last spring....what inspiration I found here! Did I mention too how much I enjoyed all the eye candy here today? Just beautiful everyone. Eden...Im so tickled a gardener whom I admire so much also loves Dicentra Gold Heart! I know some people feel it may be a little to bright, but not me! I think it is gorgeous and I absolutely swoon when in a good spring, it blooms with my Redbud tree! :-) You and Marian have mayapples too die for. Though Ive had mine for several years now, they still have not made a great show like yours. When I was working for a gardening service, one of her customers had a huge stand of them in the woodland part of her yard and it is an image that I carry with me all the time...just lovely! Well, maybe one day I will have a stand too! :-) Enjoyed seeing all your unusual plants. It amazes me how many plants I have yet to discover...LOL! Lauren! So enjoyed your pictures...just beautiful and the pic with the droplets on the leaf is really a work of art! Boy, we are so lucky here at the Idylls...so many wonderful photographers! Gorgeous pics from Sue too! My fothergilla is finally recovering after a couple of bad years where my husband completely buried it during snow removal...GRRR! BTW, Sue is that your new "do" I see? You look fabulous! New do or not I think your hair is beautiful and I need to know what you are doing to have such fabulously chiseled arms! Youre looking fabulous dahling! Well, Im going to keep this short, as I want to come back later and post pics of the trip to Arizona and my surprise on coming home in a separate post. I was going to post it all here, but then realized I had way too many pics. Ill be back here later, to do a better read! Have a great day all! Ei P.S. T that is *so* encouraging and a joy to see the honey bees! :-) P.P.S.S. Meant to tell you all I read "Shocking Beauty" while flying...wonderful book! Can't wait to get to my "Jewel Box" now! Thanks for the recommendation! Okay gotta go now...TTYL! Ei

Great pictures. I have 3 - 4 hummers every day. I still have one mature male RT "bully" chasing the others. All the females were frisky today,chasing each other, and not staying at the feeders very long at a time. Maybe different ones migrating thru. I don't understand how one knows if the hummers are regulars or others migrating thru. They all look alike to me.

Certainly must be exciting. We've seen them a handful of times in various places in PA, but mostly in deep woods and forests in the northern tier counties. We've never seen a pair, though, only solitary birds. It would be really something if they established a nest on your property, wouldn't it. I've never heard a pileated's call, in fact I thought they were more or less mute, with their drumming being their main mode of territorial communication. So your observation is illuminating to me. We've found that we could get real close to these birds during several of our encounters with them. I can see how their movements would appear agitated, but comparing them with observations of other woodpecker species, I think their jerky and erratic movements, especially when foraging on tree trunks, are pretty characteristic of woodpeckers in general. Somehow I have always had the impression that woodpeckers are among the dimwits of the bird world. I can't explain why this seems so to me, exactly, but maybe it's because they seem so oblivious to my presence even when I have stood very near to them. I also have this notion that any creature that finds its sustenance by beating its head against oak and other hardwoods all day must have evolved in conjunction with a trend toward a minimal number of brain cells. I don't mean to diminish your admiration for the pileated by my less flattering observations - they just arose due to my questionable sense of humor. In fact, a pileated siting is a breathtaking occurence, in my opinion. There's something so uncanny in their physical appearance and bearing, and I always find myself wondering "How can this fantastic creature" - they do bring pteridactyls to mind, don't they? - "be inhabiting the twentieth millenium instead of prehistory?" Hope you see 'em again. By the way, what kind of habitat is around your property? Do you have a lot of old established trees or extensive woodlands? These are the only habitats in which I've ever seen them, and my sitings have always occurred well north of Bucks County. cranebill

Not only do woodpeckers drill holes into trees to obtain insects, but to excavate dwellings. They may decide to do this to what appears to be a healthy tree. I generally think of a woodpecker's busy activity around a tree as a sign that the tree is seriously infested with wood boring insects. Trees cannot live with that kind of invasion for very long and there isn't anything you can do at that point. As far as the large holes are concerned, there is nothing you can do that will help your tree: filling the holes will do nothing to help, there is no spray you can use. I am afraid that this is just part of Nature's living classroom, perhaps a great learning experience for you. Duckwatcher's advice about scaring them off is good, and that is about your only tactic in this situation.