shade is impossible to describe by words .... some shade will make your glasses dark .. other shade is like a grotto ... every conifer has an annual growth rate ... e.g. a juniper that will grow 6 inches per year ... which would be in full sun .... as you decrease the intensity of the sunlight thru shade... you will reduce vigor .. which means the growth rate ... you will also.. most likely end up with a sparser plant.. rather than full and robust ... nothing will really die in shade [leaving out the dark grotto] .. it just might not perform to your expectations .. sooooo .... find something you like.. that fits the spot.. and give it a try .... and if it works it works.. and if it doesnt.. move it ...you will know within a few years ... ken

Peter, the only 'nest' that looks like spit that I can think of is spittle bug, and the spit is a defensive coating. Only it comes out the opposite end of where you would expect spit to be spat :) There is a little soft bodied bug in the foam. If you have spit bugs and just a few, there's no need to concern yourself with them. In larger numbers on some plants they can distort the foliage (these are sucking insests)- you can spray away (garden hose) the protective bubbles a few days in a row and they will eventually go somewhere else to spit. Or armed with a wad of paper towels, you can find the bug in the spit and smash (what I usually do when I find them on my dwarf roses) Here is a link that might be useful: Spittle bugs

Kathy -- when I went back out, I decided that BOTH nests look like they are primarily twigs, though there certainly are some more grass-like pieces as well as a few small seedheads (maybe dried sedum?) in the second one (it's also not as deep). I pulled out the one that was clearly all twigs (had a very deep "cup" in the middle but no eggs), but I left the other because I just wasn't sure. Here are the two pictures: first is the all-twig one that I removed today (how well do I need to clean out the box? I think there are a few twigs on the floor since I didn't have a brush with me). The second is the other box. Just a note: these two boxes are fairly close together because last year we had tree swallows and I had read that tree swallows and bluebirds will "share" space if there are two boxes. Swallows won't let another swallow pair nest nearby but will leave the bluebirds if they want the other house. I think what I read (on Audubon site or somewhere) was to put the two boxes about 10-15 feet apart. I know that's not what you do if you want actual bluebirds to use them both, but we were hoping to keep a pair of bluebirds in the one if the swallows returned this year (those swallows are GORGEOUS birds, too!)

I can't imagine where you saw that they don't feed on plants (leaves and fruit), zzackey. That's exactly what they eat. There are some predatory species in other parts of the world, but won't be found here. In most situations, they aren't considered a major pest, but they are known to be a problem to citrus and other tree fruits. As mentioned earlier in this thread, they are more likely to be found in the tops of deciduous trees, munching away.