Joan Morris

What do goldfinches like to eat? A lot, as it turns out DEAR JOAN: Last year I scratched a patch of mixed wildflower seeds into an area of my yard.

Bay Area seeing more of the insects than usual this year

Bay Area seeing more of the insects than usual this year

What do goldfinches like to eat? A lot, as it turns out

Bay Area seeing more of the insects than usual this year

Various species of birds will essentially steal a spider's dinner right of their web DEAR JOAN: We have cobwebs across the outside corners of our windows.

The dying insects are likely the victims of tiny, parasitic flies. Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Sometimes, animals do nice things for people, though it can be hard to tell if it's intentional

The trick is that keeping food safe from raccoons probably means the cats can't eat it either

Plus, a solution for feeding stray cats (and not the raccoons) DEAR JOAN: My wife and I have been intrigued by a great blue heron across the street from us in Castro Park for the past couple weeks.