No New England episode, huh. Well. I guess I'm not wanted! Anyway, too late for my yard, it's wildlife friendly already! :) Mary

First one is a pigweed (Amaranthus Sp.) Get rid of it before it drops all those seeds! HTH Chris

Yes, I harvested seeds from it last fall by pulling the seeds out of the fruit. I have stored them in the fridge for the last year not knowing what to do with them. I don't know if they would be viable any longer. I may just scatter them on the ground outside near the other plant and let nature take it's course. These new seeds will be treated according to the information I have found on Solomons Seal and Winter Sowing. I am also considering dividing the root. It says to do it on plants that are several years old. Mine is at least 4 years old. Thanks, Bruce

That is different from my experience. In my compost pile, I regularly see bluejays, ravens, and crows. Last summer I had moles in an almost finished pile, probably looking for worms. And I know I have nocturnal visitors from the evidence they leave: a bent wire fence, footprints in the snow, evidence of a bit of digging, or a tuft of fur left on the fence. (Edited to add photo.) IME the deer, chipmunks, turkey, and squirrels aren't interested in what's in the pile because the food is wrong for what they like, but scavengers are. In winter when the snow is deep, I don't see visitors other than birds, I think because most animals stay in a smaller home area when moving through snow makes them use up too much energy. But when deep snow isn't an issue, I've seen evidence of the coyotes, fox (one summer when she was raising kits nearby), and one memorable time I hope not to have repeated, a bear left fur on a very squashed fence. In city areas I know rats can sometimes be an issue, but they haven't been in my rural area. So some of your critters probably have other foods they prefer, but I don't know why your pile is undisturbed in times without deep snow.