Wow! I've seen them flock but not in those numbers! They gather in an empty lot next to where I work and we watch their aerial stunts, it's like they play follow the leader but the leader changes every few moments. What's interesting is that two of our most invasive alien species of birds (european starlings and house sparrows) are both considered endangered in Britain. Makes you wonder if they don't get to the point where the species has outgrown it's natural boundaries and begins to decline. I know I would gladly ship all my starlings over there! We have another winter storm moving through tonight and the birds seemed to know as they were all very actively feeding at dusk. Typically the last birds that I see in the evening are cardinals and tonight when I looked out I counted 43! That was just at the back feeders so I'm sure that count is low. I tried to get a picture of as many as possible but the best I could do was 17. Taken through the window with flash so not my best but you get the idea ... Here is a link that might be useful:

Lycopodium and several showy wildflowers are protected under our state law, but not because they are threatened or endangered. Rather, many years in the past, they were considered at risk of being overcollected from public land for commercial sale, and a concerned group worked to get some protection in place. On private land one may pick/collect/dig/whatever with written permission of the landowner. I guess I'm fortunate to see it often where I work and in several places I hike. I hadn't thought of it as rare. I do have to smile, though, when students and chaperones on field trips think lycopodium is a bunch of baby pine trees.

I did get lost in it! It was huge! about 200 packets! I will get it out in the mail today or Wends. Today if I hear from you sue per our emails.... Thanks for including me in this it was LOTS of fun. I have never tried hardly any types of annuals before - but I have a garden walk scheduled and hope they really brighten up my yard. I will be trying lots of them this year thanks to your help. Thanks for showing me the way to affordable gardening. I am a new seed addict now. Have 9 flats going now and I ran out of room, but not seeds. Trying to talk hubby into building me a coldframe for my birthday next month so I can start more seeds. thanks again

Elmer Fudd: We have two levels of bicycle trails in Wisconsin: touring and mountain style. Most of our trails are touring trails with asphalt or crushed and compacted limestone roadbed. Many of the trails near urban areas are old railway beds with asphalt paving. The railway beds have gentle grades except for one named the "Bug Line". It has one section of 1/2 mile with 5% grade, very high for a railroad. This originally was a spur line that serviced lime kilns in Waukesha county. It pulled a low number of cars and snaked its way among various kilns. From overhead, it had the appearance of the random crawl of a bug, thus its nickname, the bug line. Today, only the remnants of a few kilns remain as a reminder of the past. The Sparta-Elroy trail is paved and passes through 3 railway tunnels. Even in the heat of summer, the interior of these tunnels are cool and dripping. the floor may be rough and wet. It is advised to walk your bike in these tunnels. and have a jacket. In the longest of these tunnels, a light is needed. Hikers and bikers share the same trails. There is no fee for hiking. The main problem that touring a biker has in this state is that many of the trails are short segments of 5 to 10 miles long. One must travel over vehicular roads to connect from one trail to another. Our trail system is a project in process and it will be many years before there is a contiguous network of trails. The city of Madison and Dane county has the best network in the state.