I've transplanted cudweed before, Susan, and it took, I just kept it moist until it reestablished.
You sure have got a lot of plants - I love it! I bet your garden will be extra beautiful this year.
Congrats on the BSTs - I bet you'll really baby those first cats!
I've got my usual plants this year, plus zinnias. I've been meaning to plant some of the type that are attractive to butterflies, and I finally did it this year. I've also got some new passis, and it's looking like p. loefgrenii, p. subpeltata, p. Lavender Lady, and maybe p. umbillicata are going to be the most successful.
Sherry

Hi Susan, Wow, A lot of activity down there! What are Golden Hops like? I just planted some humulus lupus (I think...hope the Qms and the other anglewings find it).

I have all kinds of seedlings, and I bought a couple of porterweeds, penta, and mexican flame vine from Almost Eden. They are going to go into pots, and I hope to overwinter them indoors in the basement. I've false nettle seedlings going too! Quite a bit of Cleome, different kinds; a couple of kinds of hollyhocks, lavender, mexican sunflowers, zinnias, verbena bonarensis, butterfly delphs, linaria, salvias, buttonbush, sunflowers, scabiosa, evening primrose, phlox, milkweeds, dianthus, ratibida...phew! Don't think that's it...hope I get lots of butterflies.

In the gardens, coreopsis, boneset, gaillardia, echinecea, phlox, rudbeckias are all beginning to show their tootsies just a little...

Whee! Here we go!

Hi, Susan,

Congrats on the first BF eggs of the season. Sounds like your garden is coming up quickly and getting ready for the BFs and Moths.

I have had a female Monarch patrolling my yard several times a day, but I haven't found any eggs yet. I did plant the Trop Milkweed we got from Marilyn as well as some tuberosa I bought locally. Even though the BFs aren't fond of it, it is a good nectar plant. Everything here is slightly behind your garden. I have been working on getting all the weeds out. I transplanted a cudweed that wasn't in a good location. I have just kept it watered until it perks up and then I'll cut back so it won't cause the roots to rot. The curavassica I started from seeds is really starting to take off. And, oh, I discovered little teeny pipes on the clematitis that I got from Marilyn!

Today I had to go shopping at Walmart so I stopped off at the nature center. I saw my first Buckeye, first Cloudless, and first Red banded Hairstreak. I also saw a Tiger, a Silver spotted skipper, a Monarch, a PL, a Pipevine, ETBs, Duskywings, a Reakirts Blue, and a Juniper Hairstreak on the spreading juniper they have at the entrance to the preserve. I think I saw a Henry's Elfin, but I could never get it into focus to be sure. It was small and high up in the tree.

I am really enjoying this weather. I am hoping the BFs at home will start coming into the yard. The neighbor's Wild Black Cherry tree is in full bloom and perfuming the air. I also have a lilac that is beautiful and very fragrant. I have read that Tigers nectar on lilacs. So far, though, haven't seen anything nectaring on it except White-lined sphinxes. There are quite a few of those around right now. They really like the little lemon tree which is covered with sweet smelling blooms.

Everything here is on the verge of blooming. I can't wait til it explodes with color!

Enjoy your first babies. I'm still waiting for mine!

Sandy

I forgot to include my berlandier (Chocolate flower, for the butts and me, too!) which is supposed to be attractive to butterflies as well.

Looks like there's lots of activity to the northeast of me, Sandy! I've been trying to find info on the gomphocarpus and its hardiness to my zone 7a. If not, I'll just plant the seeds again if I get some from the plant.

BG, the Golden Hops is more of a decorative plant than one that is used to produce actual hops for beermaking. The leaves are very large this year, and it sure makes a statement in the garden with that golden yellow foliage!

Actually, the QMs didn't use it but once last year, and seem to prefer the elm saplings scattered thru out the yard. Now, I think MissSherry gets a lot of QMs on her hops vine.

I think I've read somewhere that lilac is also a host plant for the Tigers, and some sphinx as well.

MissSherry, I know my butterfly friends would think my garden is beautiful, but not so sure about those who maintain perfectly landscaped yards! LOL! Mine is totally wild and stuffed with whatever I can stick in somewhere for my leps. I let the weeds go just to see if I get something interesting in the yard, and I have, so I'll continue to let areas of it go. I have the 'Lavendar Lady' passiflora and it is very, very late coming up for me....usually around June. It doesn't flower reliably every year either. Nonetheless, the GFs lay eggs on it every year. Last year, however, they seemed to prefer the P. ceurulea over the Lavendar Lady. Only when the Blue Crown was gone, did they switch to the LL. Do you have the Blue Crown? Be interesting to know how well they like yours, too. I might add the stink bugs liked hanging out on the LL and I found none on th BC. I'm going to watch this year and see if the same holds true.

BG - here's hoping you have a great BF season, too, and hopefully you'll get cats in the near future.

Susan

Susan, my p. caerulea died back a few years ago, except for one little sprig - it's very slowly growing back. Mine was a cultivar called 'Waterloo Blue' (I think) so maybe that particular cultivar is less vigorous, but the flower was beautiful! The gulf frits didn't lay eggs on it until the p. incarnata was completely gone, so I haven't ordered any new to replant. I don't know yet how popular LL will be with the butts. It's odd - one of my LLs grew big enough in the pot that I planted it out several months ago, and the other one is just now gaining some ground. For my gulf and variegated frits, nothing is more popular than maypops/p. incarnata!
I get lots of QMs on my hops vines, but they're the regular green leaf type - don't know if that makes a difference. I've never found any QMs on my elms, but I've found them on my false nettles. I need to check for those stacked eggs today, because I saw my first QM of the season yesterday - maybe she laid some.
Sherry

Plant that Buddleia in a pot. ALL of mine at home are in pots (hubby won't let me plant 'em in the ground...tee-hee! I think he's afraid I will take over or something, hmmm...I think he's' on to something, don't you?). I must admit, though, DH is a sweetheart when it comes to my butterflies though, as he did recently transplant a dead Buddleia. Our neighbor, who cuts our grass, has a gardening business and had dug up a Buddleia (it was HUGE!) from a client's garden and gave it to us. DH transplanted it the other day in the pot of the one that died AND found this bizaare looking larva of some sort, which I found in a bug cup that he'd left just for me. :) Ahh, the little love gifts I do receive. (OH, I still don't know what this thing is...it is about 2.5" or so long, at least .5" wide, pale in colour-kind of a beige, has six little legs like a caterpillar...I need to get my bug guide out)

Could be a cut worm of some sort, CalSherry! My only concern with the buddleia in a pot was whether it would overwinter successfully. Not sure about the hardiness, so I'll google it. But I'm planting more and more in pots, too. They seem easier for me to care for than the plants in the ground. Having to bend over and wind myself around the garden to fertilize aren't positions that my back can take anymore. Planting in pots is so much easier, too. I just put in the soil and plant it. With beds, I have to dig more space (like I did Saturday), and break up the clods of dirt, rid the bed of weeds (as much as I can), put in some chicken manure and worm castings, mix it altogether, and finally plant it. What cultivar of buddleia bit the dust? The one I bought is just marked "white buddleia" - at least it's not a Nanho!!

Susan

Congratulations on your BSTs! Despite the fact that I know it's way too early for them to be around up here, I keep checking our parsley briefly as I walk by it.
-Jmcat