Whatzit??

Ok, so I am throwing this out there for anyone that would like to identify a bush for me. This shrub grows right along the marsh edge of the Bayou with its roots sometimes completely covered with salt or brackish water. This in fact does not seem to hinder the growth of the shrub at all. It has reached the height of about 20 feet and a width of about the same. It is doing quite well and blooms profusely each year. This year it has bloomed almost a month ahead of schedule as the blooms usually appear around the first of June. These blooms are tiny creamy white flowers that grow in a tassel formation. Each tassel is approximately 8 to 10 inches long and maybe 3/4 of an inch in diameter. There are anywhere from 5 to 12 of the tassels to each cluster. The blossoms have a slightly sweet smell and the honey bees seem to love them! The leaves are bright green and about 3 to 4 inches in length. The trunk of the tree has a reddish bark. It is quite a pretty little tree or shrub and makes an interesting focal point on the Bayou edge. So..any takers? Can someone identify my shrub? I have gotten several answers..Virginia Sweetspire or Virginia Willow, Marsh Alder and Tag Alder. Some of these seem to be close but there are some small differences. I would love to hear from anyone that might know the answer!   *This has finally been truly identified as Swamp Cyrilla! 

After finishing several (daunting) tasks today..cleaning under refrigerators and the washing machine (ugh!)..I spent nearly thirty minutes making friends with a pair of Redheaded Woodpeckers. For the past several weeks, a pair of the woodpeckers have been causing a tremendous racket each time they visit the feeders. This raucous pair always manage to make enough noise to scare away most of the other birds. I think this might be a technique they have developed so that their dining time won't have to be shared with the other birds. Although, most of the other birds have come to recognize me as their food source, I have not been able to get near these two. So, today, I filled the feeders and parked myself practically right underneath them. I waited. The smaller birds such as the titmice and chickadees immediately started feeding as did the blackbirds. Then the commotion started! The fussy pair entered the area loudly announcing the others needed to vacate the feeding station. I sat. I was surprised when the woodpeckers flew in to feed regardless of my presence. Even when I would move to take pictures, they had no fear. I talked to them and they would cock their heads as if to listen to each word. I am making progress! Thirty minutes of wonderment! Now if I can just convince them to share the seed!