We have five bushes that are about four years old and two larger ones that are seven years old and one small one that had blueberries, but they dried up on the bush. I am definitely not letting them get any taller. Thanks you all for commenting, Casey, Linda, Val, Ellie, and Avedon, Delayed Arrival is the prettiest I remember it ever being. Jean and Ellie, I really love Bear Claws it is a huge bloom too and seems to have a thicker than usual consitency. Casey and Val, I was very surprised that Water Drops rebloomed since this is its first year (planted in the fall). ngraham, mockingbirds are one thing, crows another. I don't care for crows either, and they are smart! Casey, I love to sit and watch and listen to birds. I will have Goldfinch pictures either Saturday or sunday (have to work tonight, so depends on when I get up tomorrow...took the pics this afternoon).

Oh, I'm so jealous of your grosbeaks and redpolls, Pudge! I think my neighbor is feeding too well, because the grosbeaks are always hanging around there and I'm lucky if they pop by for a brief visit. I did get some Evening Grosbeaks in for a good feed this spring and again this fall. That was a thrill to spot them, as I hadn't seen them before. I haven't seen a redpoll for about 3 years now. I find them so cute. The last time I saw a flock of them was early in the spring/late winter. Do they stay around all winter? Someone told me once that they cycle...and I don't remember why...was it their migration pattern maybe? I'd be interested to know if someone had any thoughts on that. I also had my first White Breasted Nuthatch yesterday! Another cutie and fun to watch...very vocal. He was still here this evening. RE: salt and birds...I'm thinking they probably require certain amounts naturally and find it somewhere, but with bird feeder fast-food that contains salt, they might eat alot of it because its easy to get and therefore get too much salt. Sound familiar? ie. potato chips! Gil, I wonder if the nuthatches would like your suet bars? Toots

Fantastic photos of the bluebirds and waxwings together. That is luck to see them together, let alone get a good photo. We have waxwings here all summer, but so often they are high up in trees, most people don't notice them. They like black cherries, and when i canoe the river i see them flycatching alot. And congrats newyorkrita on your bird garden paying off. Glad the Wentworths were well used, so many people report birds not touching the highbush cranberries. I saw cardinals picking at them once, but i think they were only after the pits inside. I may have to think about planting a Cardinal Candy viburnum. Winterberries - ive never had those last late in the year. I had a robin that would camp out until they were all gone, in December.

They aren't too common up this way (I'm in Priceville (I live a mile or so from I-65 at most and just under a mile from Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge and the Tennessee River). The Juniperus Silicicola is listed as tolerant of clay and growing near areas that I would imagine flood when given a really heavy rain, which is what I was concerned about. Other than those times, I don't have standing water for days or anything. http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/junsil/all.html#35 SITE CHARACTERISTICS : Southern redcedar almost always occurs within 30 miles (50 km) of seawater or in areas with shallow water tables [31,39]. Although it usually occurs on sandy, moist but not saturated soils, it occasionally occurs on acidic clay soils in Texas [31,39]. Southern redcedar may be found on soil types that include Alfisols, Entisols, Inceptisols, Spodosols, and Ultisols [39]. Southern redcedar occurs on calcareous hammocks, coastal hammocks, brackish flats, shell middens, dunes, bluffs, and secondary woods, and will colonize dredge spoil islands [4,5,6,39]. Southern redcedar is found inland in river swamps and along stream and creek margins in low woods [36]. Southern redcedar is abundant in hydric hammock communities in Florida, most often occurring with cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto) and live oak in areas between pine flatwoods and freshwater marshes [35]. Southern redcedar occurs in oak (Quercus virginiana, Q. marilandica) scrub and in live oak forests that are established on the backdunes of barrier islands off the east coast of the Florida peninsula [19]. Overstory associates not listed in Distribution and Occurrence include spruce pine (Pinus glabra), live oak, laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia), southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), American holly (Ilex opaca) [21,39]. Understory associates include yaupon (Ilex vomitoris), southern bayberry (Myrica cerifera), devilwood (Osmanthus americanus), Carolina laurelcherry (Prunus caroliniana), beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), bumelia (Bumelia spp.), tree sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum), muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia), and greenbriers (Smilax