Here's a story from CNN with approximately the same info, oriented toward eco-tourism. I've been to El Rosario preserve for the last two years, and it is worth doing whatever it takes to get there during Monarch season. The countryside is spectacular, the people are friendly and much in need of tourism pesos. The more they recognize that wealthy (by their standards) foreigners will pay to see the Monarchs, the more they will respect the forest. Deforestation in the overwintering sites has been a huge problem, and Calderon's initiative should get some attention. If there's any way you can go, you really should do it. It can be a once in a lifetime experience, but if you do it once, you'll want to go back. geni

Steve, if you see the size of the hole they go down, its maybe 2 inches in diameter. That whole side of the house is lined with peonies. Today, I got down on my hands and knees with a small hand rake and went all along the foundation pulling away grass and mulch - and found another opening, coming up right beside, almost inside, a peony - nearly impossible to see. Set a snap trap, and caught it a couple of hours later.

Without having a visual of your property, just going on what you're saying, I'd plant a Pinus strobus (white pine). Easily my favorite conifer. As for size though, yours at 25-30 aren't huge. The Pinus strobus gets 60' to 80', much larger in natural areas. They have a 20' to 40' spread. Another one would be Thuja occidentalis (white cedar or American arborvitae), home landscape plants in the 20' to 30' size range, 10' to 15' wide (larger in natural areas). IL native plants is what I'm most familiar with, sorry! If these would work, or just one of them, I'd place them more in the back, meaning the conifers would be more towards the road as your back drop, with Cornus alternifolia in front of them, spacing them to allow the growth of the conifers and the growth of the trees. On either side of the Cornus alternifolia, I'd probably plant more smaller trees and shrubs. Adding in perennials.

Tressa, I know there are 2 or 3 different kinds, that little winter wren was the only one we have had to nest in a box, these are house wrens I guess, and I am not sure if that is the same as the Carolina wren. They are not afraid of anything and ours like to find some unusual place in our garage, like they knocked all the nuts and bolts out of a nook and put it there, we have had some that raised their babies then never came back, maybe a snake or hawk around. I have heard of them nesting in hanging baskets, and even one story I read of one coming in a ladies house and nesting on the mantel in her living room, they will come through a small opening. I know that warning call that you are talking about, sort of a growl. My dh said they never use the same nest twice, so maybe you can check around the area. Hope you have them again....