North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

In the Oregon coast range of the Cascade mountains, the berry crop is so light this year several coastal towns are having highly unusual problems with bears coming into town.  In Florence, Oregon, three bears had to be killed just in one week, last week.  
What's your preference - birds or bears? :-)
-Lon Rombough
Grapes, writing, consulting, my book, The Grape Grower, at http://www.bunchgrapes.com  Winner of the Garden Writers Association "Best Talent in Writing" award for 2003. 
For all other things grape,   http://www.vitisearch.com
A video about The Grape Grower : http://cookingupastory.com/index.php/2008/04/18/the-grape-grower/
On Jul 18, 2008, at 1:34 PM, John S wrote:

Kathryn, Tartarian Honeysuckle is horribly invasive around here.  It is all over the place and difficult to control.  Around here, the birds do not bother them much and the berries linger until fall.

It is easily recognized by it's tendency to produce twinned berries.

On the other hand, I have not noticed any buckhorn in the wild.  The kind I grow is for fruit and has not been bothered by the birds.

This is an unusual year as far as birds eating fruit.  I have a number of tart cherry trees that are usually quickly stripped by the robins, but this year the fruit is still on the trees after about of month.  I've been picking 3 weeks running now.