It sounds like the key word in "they could not remove a healthy tree" might be "healthy". Accidents are bound to happen. String trimmer sometimes girdle trees when people are conscientious about keeping all the grass trimmed around the base of a tree. Neighborhood kids or storms can sometimes break large branches or even the whole top off of such a tree. Rodents have been known to chew through the bark during the night. Vehicles can accidentally run over small trees. If any of these or many other such things were to happen to this tree, you'd surely be able to request a replacement. The only problem is that if you've already talked to them more than once about this tree, they might think you intentionally caused the problem.

Interesting conundrum. I would like to say the removal of the original Jade plants was an illicit attempt to conceal the fact that this stand of Crassula ovata harbored the shoulderbanded snail. But Crassula ovata is a non-native species that should be removed, so if the snail goes with it, what can you do? According to the link you provided, a population of unknown size lives in Morro Strand beach near the high school. Most of the population are to the South in Montana de Oro State Park. The few that you accidentally took home are probably not the only significant population. That particular snail is supposed to be an eater of dead, decaying plant matter, and is not a garden pest, so it shouldn't be a problem for your plants. If it is, I would erradicate them with Sluggo. It might be interesting to cook some of both kinds of snail in butter and garlic and do a taste comparison. The standard preparation is to let the snails eat corn meal for a few days before cooking to flush out anything you don't want to eat. French escargot vs Californian escargot. Pair this combo with a French and a Californian Merlot. I'm guessing the California snail, like the Californian wine, will beat the French stuff everytime. Bon Appetit! This is very interesting to me as someone who grew up in San Luis Obispo. I knew we had snails, but discovered later that they were the common brown snail, Helix aspersa, which are not a native species. I never knew of the Morro shoulderband snail, or its smaller cousin, the Big Sur shoulderband snail, found to the north. I guess these are found along the coast, but I wonder if they couldn't also be found in the creekbed ravines of the Santa Lucia range. You have given me an interesting project. I suspect this snail may not be as endangered as the EPA thinks. I am going to start looking for these. Brad

I can say that this year's shipment of BB (at least to my area) was extremely goofed up. Something tells me the grower for Bailey didn't overwinter them correctly or used a bad potting mix or something. The gallon pots had tons of foliage, and in the ground quickly grew leggy stems to 3x3, but will NOT produce buds. To boot these are in the same soil as T&S, regular ES, and Forever & Ever's, all of which bloomed and continue to bud. Since I put 2 in the ground back in May there has only been a total of ONE new flower bud, and that took 2.5 months to form. It's weird to ask "where's the blooming?" let alone "where's the reblooming?" A good winter of my BB going commando should set them on track next spring. White Out isn't practical enough for my large beds. The reblooming mophead family definitely has room for some larger white specimens that behave differently than either of these.

I'm with pllog. I may not have bad allergy attacks most of the time, but cats love me and make a beeline for me when I go into a house. As a real estate agent, I try to be very careful to not insult the homeowner, but if they touch any exposed skin of mine, I have an instant rash. I make a joke about not being able to touch the cat while talking to the cat and most h.o.s get the hint and pick them up and often move them elsewhere. If a house has multiple cats or is not very clean, I will sniffle all day and feel lousy. Most of the time, I am not there long enough to have a really bad reaction. I only had my throat start to close up twice in my life. Running outside and gulping air fixed it. I can care about a friend and not want allergy problems or, quite frankly, to care about their cat. You can love whomever you want, but sometimes it is not proper to foist them on others. I adore our sons but it is not always proper to mix them with company. The same is true of pets. A quick hello is plenty. If I had worse allergies, then that would even be too much. Having a non allergy aversion is also acceptable. It is nothing personal about your pet, but some people have a fear of dogs and that does not make them bad people. I was bit by a chihuahua years ago and am still leery around them despite not having much fear of larger more imposing dogs. I have some allergies with certain breeds of dogs, but will still choose to pet them and suffer a small reaction. The key is it is my choice as to which pet I will touch or not. My allergy to dogs is less than to cats, but I also like dogs more. Not liking cats is a personal choice and does not preclude me being a good friend or guest. If that means someone thinks I am not worthy because I don't like their "Fluffy", then it is their loss. The funny part is I am usually the most attractive human in the room to cats. I can walk in with several cat lovers and the cats want nothing to do with them, but love me. They must love "hard to get" people.