Add lime juice to bring out the flavour of pitaya and combine with other tropical fruit such as watermelon, lychee, rambutan and star fruit in fruit salads or fruit drinks.

Serve Michel Roux's fruit tarts alongside a selection of other cakes and sandwiches cut into triangles for a fancy afternoon tea. Equipment: You will need 10cm/4in tartlet cases or barquette tins.

In spring and summer, try offering fruit and sugar water. “This bird (above) looks like a house finch, but the coloring is not typical. What kind of bird is this?” asks Birds & Blooms reader ...