Sorry for not responding sooner - sometime life gets in the way of computer time! ;-) Jeanne, I've been making totems for about 4 years and tried several times to quit! LOL Good thing it's not an unhealthy addiction! I've received so much inspiration from lurking on this forum that I wanted to show others what I do even tho I'm not a good photographer. Thanks Luna, yes there is a little crystal elephant on that one. Jules, I'd love to see your link. While I lurk here from time to time I've missed a lot I'm sure. About condensation - I only make totems when the humidity is low. I also make sure the figurine is glued to it's base and dries for at least a day. I think GE Silicone II may have moisture in it so that's why I wait. I also always do a continuous bead of glue so there are no gaps. Thanks Laura, it's really not difficult to make tall totems but I use a level now or they can get pretty wonky. Trial and error is a great teacher! Ginger, I always use GE Silicone II and it's always worked for me. Do try a totem, they are so much fun. Thanks, Leveta! I knew that gold bird would be perfect for a totem as soon as I saw it in a YS.

Good work!The blue totem is awesome. Isn't this the best site ever? I haven't been here very long either,and you are already better at the pics than me. Your right it is addicting, in one month I've made 14 totems, 3 bottle bugs, and a plate flower and my lunches are consumed with searching thrift stores. Look foward to more pics. Syble

Welcome to the forum DannaB, sure glad you came out of lurkdom to join in on the fun. Your totem is supurb!!! I love the colors and the shape. It's going to look so beautiful in your gardens. Yeah that silicone can look messy but you covered it up great. Hope to see more of your garden creations, we love pics around here. Sal

Runmede, I've never tried anything other than a banana mixture a few times and I set out watermelon rinds this year to see if I'd attract any butterflies. I don't know why, but they just don't seem to like that stuff here. The flies and wasps do though. Wow, do we ever have a lot of horse flies here this here. I barely step outside the house and there is usually one swarming around me. I have to carry a fly swatter with me wherever I go in the yard and garden or I get nailed. Those darn things hurt! Just yesterday when I was outside in the garden I killed 6 in about half an hour and came in then because it seemed that's all I was getting done. I don't know why they're so terrible this year. You mention putting your fruit feeder on top of a garbage can. I wonder if that could actually be my problem, not sitting it up fairly high. I was putting mine about a foot up off the ground. Susan, Yes, can you believe that it's been that long since we met on here! Actually, I think I joined in 2006 when I got my first Monarch cat and was panicking that I didn't know what I should do to raise it. Ha! I have to laugh now when I think about it. I think I planted milkweed here in the late summer of 2005 along with some other plants but didn't get any cats until the following year. I'm glad you're having a great butterfly year too. You're lucky that you haven't had bad years lately. I was getting pretty discouraged the past two years and started thinking that the butterflies were really on the decline. I've had Monarchs every year though since that first year that I got them. I think that's the only kind of cat that is reliably here year after year, especially in great numbers. I have hundreds of eggs every year, which is unfortunate this year because my tropical milkweed isn't very big at all because of how dry it's been here this year (and also HOT and HUMID). It sounds like you and runnymede have super luck with the fruit feeders and wow, you sure get a variety of butterflies there. I have yet to see any kind of emperor. Maybe when my hackberry trees get bigger, I'll see some butterflies that I haven't seen yet. I also have wild black cherry, paw paw, wafer ash, paper birch, black willow, tulip poplar, and a few other kinds that I've planted for the butterflies to lay eggs on. I think I remember reading that too, what you said about the hummingbirds mainly eating insects. I think that they must use the sugar water to wash them down. :) Wishing you continued success with the butterflies! Cathy