I've so enjoyed reading through this tread. My thanks to all who contributed and who take time to plant for the wildlife. Sherry, couldn't help but relate to your story regarding your blackberry canes. I, too, have been fighting the spread of Blackberry canes. I don't know if they were planted by the prior owner or by the neighbor behind me but even with me cutting each cane over and over during the growing season, they had spread so badly they were even beginning to show up all over my small grassy area in the backyard, not to mention the garden beds. Strong canes with terrible thorns that catch at fabric and skin, no matter how carefully the canes are handled. Last year I could see I was losing the battle so I purchased brush killer and carefully sprayed in the spring with the first spring flush of growth, everywhere I could spray without hitting other plants (I used a tall hollow cone to try and contain the spray to each cane). I managed to set back the growth somewhat but couldn't eliminate everything and managed to also kill spots in my lawn. Didn't want to attempt that process again but with this spring's blackberry cane again sprouting all over, I decided to try something new. I cut each growing cane I could reach down to about 6 inches above ground, soaked a cotton ball in full strength brush killer, placed the cotton ball on top of the fresh cut, covered it with a plastic sandwich baggie and used a rubber band to hold all in place. I am proud to say the cane's are dying, even the ones growing up into my neighbors flower beds, where I couldn't place cotton balls. I'm hopeful that with a season of doing this, I can get rid of the underground roots that spread so far and wide. Blackberries are wonderful but for a small city lot, some can be terribly invasive and destructive. Of course, I would not place these covered, soaked cotton balls in an area where pets or small animals might roam. I don't know if wild animals would sense the danger but I doubt if domesticated pets would know to leave them alone. I've wondered if an inverted flower pot placed over each cut cane, with a heavy rock on top, would be enough of a deterrent to keep animals from investigating? My hope is this season will see the end of the blackberry canes on my property! :-) Mary

Ladies, Luckily I learned at a young age to pay myself first and did so my entire life. The bugs are still there in high numbers in some places just like 100 years ago, but with a few exceptions you have to do some work to get to them now. The harder they are to get to (and so the least influenced by mankind) the better generally. Why I climbed so many very tall mountains (to 18,000') and hiked miles for weeks into so many wilderness areas. As for the desert temps, yes it can be real serious. But it is also doable with some preparation and common sense when there. We are the real wimps of the natural world, not the leps. Growing up on a working ranch had me head over heels into what made all living things tick from a very early age. But there were other influences as well, including many great writings. A watcher at the Pond (Franklin Russell) is one that got to me for sure many times in my pre teens, so was the adventures and writings of John Wesley Powell during his explorations and expeditions in the Rockies and down the Green and Colorado rivers where I lived. But I still have my first editions of what was probably the most influential to me from the late 50's on, and what took me head on into Marine Biology. Rachel Carson's four books naturally. I had only been to the ocean a couple of times on family vacations before I moved to California right after high school graduation, but had read and reread her four books dozens of times during around a ten year period before then. While about all natural things and what man is doing to them the marine flora and fauna parts simply captivated me as new and unexplored species I just had to get my hands on. So I did. :) Larry

I still get excited about getting a good look at any kind of woodpecker, but your photo is great! I have never gotten a picture of any of my woodpeckers. We only rarely see the Pileated (it's a big favorite for me, too!!), but our Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers call all day long, every day in the Black Gum Swamp. We also get Red-headed Woodpeckers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Northern Flickers in there. Our very oldest, tallest Slash Pine is dying and I guess it will become a popular tree with the woodpeckers. It was struck by lightning at least twice since we moved to the property in 1997! Since we dug a new pond near our house we get to see a Belted Kingfisher and various enormous herons and egrets pretty often. Let's see, I guess my butterfly-related comment is that I wonder if there are any tricks to getting Red Admirals. Any suggestions on where I should plant my False Nettle seed? I already planted a lot in wet soil along the new pond where it's still bare. This forum is so tempting once spring comes along... but I need to go outside!

I'm sure your landscape lures more birds into your yard and makes them feel safer when they are visiting your feeders, Gary-. It's great to hear that you have so many wonderful species coming by. I get quite a few goldfinches at a time, too. They seem happiest in flocks, like the chipping sparrows do. But mine LOVE the thistle sock. They will eat sunflower seeds, etc, from the tray feeder, too, but the sock will sometimes be completely covered by clinging birds. Last year they emptied several completely. And they stayed until they were almost in full breeding plumage. It was fun to watch them go from grayish brown and black to brilliant yellow and black. Yep, they are cheerful little birds that brighten the yard, and I'm always sorry to see them go. But when they have buntings with them, both painted and indigo, it's even better. I noticed last year, btw, that the indigo buntings spent as much time picking through the grass as they did on the feeder tray. They were down there with the chipping sparrows an awful lot. Have you seen that, too? Marcia