Nice link, Kat. I will say that though normally I see them going through on migration, I HAVE seen the occasional nesting pair over near Merritt Island. I suspect that is about the extreme southern tip of the breeding range. Mostly they breed from northern Florida through to central North Carolina. With them wintering in south Florida, it means that you COULD actually see them in most of the state at various times, either migrating north or south, wintering in South Florida, or nesting in the spring in north Florida. As I say, mine were at my feeder during March/April. I would guess that they were heading back north from southern Florida in order to nest. Marcia

Had a huge spotted owl fly over me yesterday while on the lake at Loud Thunder Forest preserve in Andalusia, Illinois. So far in the city at my birdfeeder I've had the usual: lots of sparrows, grackels, a few cardinals, my daily frequenting Blue Jays;...but a few weeks back I had two more unusual visitors: (1) White-Breasted Nuthatch and (2) Red-Bellied Woodpecker. The nuthatch was awesome. I was sitting watching the feeder when I saw this little bluish bird running DOWN the trunk of my tree and it kept doing that. At the time I didn't know what it was. Then I learned. He/She was funny. Loved it! dax

Ned stated it well, but to go a bit further, there is no blue pigment in any of the birds you see that appear blue. Like Ned said, the color appears by refraction. The structure of the feathers reflect back the blue light. Here is a link to a page by Cornell that explains feather colors. It's pretty fascinating. Here is a link that might be useful: Cornell Lab of Ornithology - color

Hi, Christopher! You don't owe me a thing. I adore my "DLFED 3" with or without bloom. It's special to me because Kim Rupert bred it and you and I swapped for it. :-) I'm pretty sure it will bloom this year. It has produced a jungle of new growth! 'Indigo': mine has begun to spread much more enthusiastically as well. When you first asked about her behavior, she was a moderate traveler in my garden. Paul Barden, whose climate and soil are similar to mine, mentioned that his 'Rose de Rescht' doesn't spread much at all. After five years, mine started to travel, crawling under a small stone wall and leaping across the bed space. I know what you mean about the newer hybrid teas, even the dark red ones. I am keeping one 'Mr. Lincoln' (which my mother grew) and passing along the rest. As time passes, the old roses, plus a VERY small group of sentimental moderns, appeal to me more and more. I also have two 'Frances Dubreuil' teas in big pots, and I wouldn't be without them even if they are 'Barcelona' HTs. I'd love to hear about the cemetery garden you are planting. I must have missed the discussion during my check-ins. Ingrid and John, thank you for the "welcome back"! Ingrid, the closest I've gotten to Tahiti is a Gauguin exhibit, although I have to admit to preferring Redoute. :-) John, I love your moniker. My husband is insane about figs, too. We have a tree in our back garden which shoots up to twice its size after pruning...to my dismay (since it shades my roses) and my husbands great delight. :-) Carol