(((((Eden)))))! I'm so sorry about the damage and you feeling so upset/scared. It's times like this that I wish I lived a skip away from you. I am SO thankful that no one was hurt. A crushed urn and smashed plants(gee and a humongous tree laying over your garden)still are extemely upsetting and I always did admire the sun & moon not to mention your shed(maybe Brad can repair the shed?)! I know you'll find a way to salvage what you can and recreate what you've got~sniff~Earlier today I was viewing garden pics you'd posted and I was ooing and aahing at the results of your hard work. I hope the cleanup shows more things intact than thought. I hope you can get good sleep tonight. In regards to how I had time to post when the kids were little it was pretty easy because I would post at naptime~AJ napped all the way up to age 4 or at least had quiet book reading time. Both boys were very good at independant play so I could take a few moments to post during the day. I also would post at night because Chris was often doing school work. These days we are more on the go in general plus when I'm working the idylls went to the back burner-unfortunately. Poor Chelone-and Rex! I hope your boss is understanding and things go well. ; )I will drink some wine for you-it's the least I can do... I missed an earlier chance to wish you & your helpmeet a happy anniversary~Hope it was fun...did you conserve water like a good girl? lol just kidding. Saucy-I saw the pic of you skiing-you go! If that were me you'd see a pic of the skis over my head and my face would be flopping through the water at high speed: ) I enjoyed seeing the pics of your earlier garden & the present one-I gasped at that later pic-It's beautiful! I also enjoyed seeing your kids-they grew so much! Thanks for showing those pics. I'm really glad you're sticking around here! 'Bug I wanted to tell you that I like Reed's middle name-such a noble name. Hi T!! How are the babies? HAve you had any time to work in your curvy beds? Mary send some of that rain back this way please? Minus high winds,hail or lightening: ) HI NORMA! Better get going, Chelone really needs me to drink that wine NOW. ~Babs

I've been reading more about mosquito abatement programs & the dangers of insecticides since I wrote the original email, and frankly, it scares the bajeebers out of me. And then, of course, I got the old "Nothing is wrong. The insecticides only kill mosquitoes." (That from the mosquito abatement people.) And, "Insect populations vary from week to week, and year to year." Okay, that made me mad. Will you forgive me if I climb on my soapbox again, for just a little while? I'm worried over here! "Insect populations vary from year to year" is an excuse used by people who promote pesticides. Oh, it's true - the populations DO vary from week to month to year to year. But they're using it as a temporary cover-up for something that they don't want us to see. It silences us. It makes us feel unqualified - our observations aren't worth anything, because we're not scientists. We haven't conducted a long-term scientific study, we could be wrong. It makes us doubt our own observations. And maybe it stops us from worrying. Makes us think, okay, if something was really wrong, SOMEBODY would notice and do something. Until we see the same problem repeating itself. We see the population continue to decline. Sure, they can tell me that the Gulf Fritillary butterflies just aren't here yet this year. But when they never turn up in their former numbers? The next year, either? This is the 4th year - where are they? We need to quit listening to the pesticide promoters, and start believing our own eyes. Our own instincts. This really is a problem. And it's not just the butterflies that are in trouble. I've learned that many mosquito abatement programs are over-spraying with chemicals that are toxic to us, too. AND - there are safer larvacides (to kill the juvenile mosquitoes), and alternative methods of control. Those aren't being used very often at all. The really sad thing is that the pesticides are working very well. Just not on mosquitoes. Leslie

Here's my list, Sherry. You have some I haven't had in my yard. We've raised some of the same ones and some different ones. You have definitely "out raised" me when it comes to Moths! I've raised a maximum of 10 different moths. 1. Battus philenor* 2. Papilio polyxenes* 3. Papilio troilus * 4. Papilio cresphontes* 5. Papilio glaucus* 6. Pontia protodice (saw my first one today for this yr.) 7. Pieris rapae 8. Colias philodice 9. Colias eurythemje Colias cesonia Phoebis sennae* Eurema lisa Eurema nicippe Dainty Sulfur Atlides halesus Strymon melinus Calycopis cecrops Hemiargus isola Everes comyntas Celastrina neglecta (Photographed 1st in BY yesterday!) Libytheana carinenta Agraulis vanillae* Euptoieta claudia* Speyeria cybele Chlosyne lacinia Chlosyne gorgone* Chlosyne nycteis* Phyciodes texana Phyciodes phaon Phyciodes tharos* Polygonia interrogationis* Nymphalis antiopa Vanessa virginiensis* Vamessa cardui* Vanessa atalanta* (found a cat this week) Junonia coenia* Limenitis arthemis astyanax Limenitis archippus Anaea andria Asterocampa celtis* (found a cat this week) Hermeuptychia sosybius Cercyonis pegala Danaus plexippus* Damais gilippus* Epargyreus clarus Achalarus lyciades Thorybes bathyllus Erynnis horatius Erynnis funeralis Pyrgus communis Pholisora catullus Lerema accius Hylephila phyleus Polites themistocles Atalopedes campestris Atrytone arogos Anatrytone logan Poanes zabulon Euphyes vestris Amblyscirtes nysa Amblyscirtes belli Lerodea eufala Problema byssus *Erynnis juvenalis - I have 3 larvae that match the picture in David Wagner's book. I am raising them on Oak leaves. I won't know for sure until next spring as to whether this is the correct ID. Could be E horatius. Color matches the E juvenalis, though. Sandy

I am thinking the same as Cynthia's last two postings. I have both asclepia and milkweed for these beauties. Also many other plants they like. They have been scarce this summer. Saw three or for a few days ago. Didn't see any today, maybe because I had my head close to the ground weeding out oxalis. That stuff is everywhere. Have one more area to do and then should only need to catch the odd ones popping up here and there. Also deadheaded and set up the sprinkler for an early morning watering. Don't know the second part. Seems to me the legs have some of that type of segmentation but not that much.