Have you visited any other gardens in your area to see what is attracting the butterflies there? Always a good idea, too. Don't know why you are not getting any. Is this the first year you've either not had many show up, or have you just started your garden this year? I know it took me a good 3-4 years to really get a good population going. Maybe it's just not a good year for butterflies in your location. Like Sandy said, last year was awful for us, altho we had a really nice population of GFs and Monarchs late in the season, starting like mid-August. Butterflies are also capricious - for example, they have never really nectared on pentas in my yard before, especially the cultivars like the Butterfly series. However, this year the Pipevines are going nuts over them. Next year, it'll probably be a different story. Lavendar is also a popular nectar plant as well as lantanas, Cosmic Orange cosmos, zinnias, cleome, and verbena bonariensis. If you get pipevine swallowtails in your area, you might want to consider Aristolochia durior (macrophylla), A. serpentaria, A. tomentosa, and A. clematitis as host plants for them. Most Black Swallowtails like fennel, parsley, dill, and Rue. The Giant Swallowtails will also use Rue as a host plant, so it's a good herb to get for both. Almost everyone in the eastern U.S. will get Black Swallowtails if you plant their food plant. Generally speaking, they don't like Queen Anne's Lace for some reason. Gulf Fritillaries use passion vine, and the natives are Passiflora incarnata (and its cultivars like 'Incense'), Passiflora lutea (likes shady areas), and Passiflora ceurulea (Blue Crown). For nectar plants, it's a good idea to try to have something in bloom during the spring, summer, and fall. Your salix should attract Viceroys and also possibly, Red Spotted Purples. Altho Wild Cherry (prunus serotina) will also attract both. The rotting fruit should definitely attract the sap-dung-fruit butterflies like your Mourning Cloaks, Hackberry Emperors, Question Marks, and Red Admirals. I planted Hops vines this year, but the QMs here prefer the Elm trees so far. I find them on the saplings most of the time, and they're easy to spot because they lay numerous eggs, with a few that are "stacked" on top of the others. Butterflies that use a number of different host plants? Sometimes you have to just take a "wait and see" to know what their favorite host plant is for your region. For example, your tiger swallowtails may prefer Cottonwood over the Sweet Bay. You can also try Ptelea trifoliata (hop tree). It can take a bit more shade than most host plants. I don't have an answer for you on your other questions about the RSPs and Tigers, so maybe someone else can pop in here and answer. Are you planting milkweed for the Monarchs? Sounds like you have a good start. It is good to have host plants and nectar plants available. Egg-laying mommas like to re-energize after a bit of egg laying. I see them nectar and then oviposit, nectar and then oviposit, so having both will assure you of an ongoing population. Welcome to the forum and good luck with your garden. We have a saying, "if you plant it, they will come"....and believe me, one day you'll have more butterflies than you know what to do with. Take if from my experience!! LOL! Susan

RoseyGrower, if you added peat moss you should be doing fine with acid. I do not use any chemical fertilizers, however, some of those can cause an overburden of minerals in the soil that does strange things to plants. When we moved in I had some problems with plants. I found out the last home owner used Miracle Grow on everything for 25 years - the soil had salts and other mineral build ups so we went completely organic. You may have some chlorois. I would call the extension office and ask if chlorosis is a common ailment in your community. If so, a quick addition of chelated iron around the garden will take care of what ails you - and you won't have to worry about it on anything. I don't think your plant looks that bad. Did your plant get frost burned after leafing out? We had that problem here. It has caused some damage to plants including blackened edges of leaves, blackened leaves and some distortion of foliage. GGG

David, no gallery here, but we post photos sometimes, at least a couple of us do. Not the whip and cuffs picture of you and I, but some of the canned goods. (grin) Here is the recipe for Habanero Gold that makes more, thanks again to Readinglady. It has a bit more dried apricots and still only uses one pouch of pectin. Other than the batch that didn't set during canning class, of course, it's always set up. Rhubarb strawberry topping on ice cream or pound cake or even in tiny tart shells? Yum. Hot 'N Sweet Confetti Jelly (Habanero Gold based recipe) 1 cup minced dried apricots (1/8" dice) Note: Could use dried peaches or pears instead. 1 1/4 total cups minced red sweet pepper and minced red onion (1/8" dice),> approximately half-and-half. 1/4 cup Habanero peppers Note: For extra-hot, increase Habaneros to 1/2 cup and reduce red sweet pepper/red onion combination to 1 cup total. 1 1/2 cups white vinegar 6 cups sugar 1 3-oz. pouch liquid pectin (I used Ball, which I've decided I like better than Certo.) > Prep apricots, peppers and onion. Place in a large, stainless or other > non-reactive pot. Add sugar and vinegar. Bring to the boil and cook 5 minutes. Pull off the burner; allow to cool, cover and let sit overnight. Stir occasionally if convenient. Note: 4-6 hours would be plenty, so the time doesn't need to be any greater than the soaking time for apricots in the original recipe. (I've used as little as an hour without noticeable problems. Annie) Next day, bring the mixture back to the boil. Stir in liquid pectin. Boil hard 1 minute. Pull off the heat. If necessary, skim foam. (I did need to skim a bit.) Let cool 2 minutes, stirring to distribute solids (at Camp we let it set about 10 minutes and I didn't have to mess around getting the peppers suspended in the jelly, it got thick enough to keep the suspension) Pour into jars. Stir to distribute and remove air bubbles. Do the usual with the jars and lids, BWB 10 minutes. When jars are sealed, "agitate" to distribute solids throughout the jelly. Yield: 6 8-oz. jars. OK, so David has a whip, cuffs, duct tape and some strawberry rhubarb jam that's not quite set. Hmmm.... Have you ever thought of applying for the cabana boy position? You're very helpful with seatbelts too. (grin) Annie

Stacy, I wouldn't change a thing. Use the same amount of cranberries as well as the same amount of sugar, and don't bother soaking the berries first. You know, you've reminded me that I still have several bags of fresh (well, they ain't so fresh anymore) cranberries buried somewhere in the freezer that need rescuing. Maybe, that's what I'll make today. Sol