Christie, I never tried direct sowing tropical milkweed. This is the first year that I am planting it and have started it in many small containers and my place is loaded down with that and butterfly weed. Those Monarchs are going to really love me this year! Anyway, I hope that the direct sowing works out well for you. Last year was the first year I was into butterflies and being that I didn't know the various species before then, I don't know if a Zebra Swallowtail was ever around here or not. I'd think that I'd have noticed those beautiful long tails though if I'd have seen them. I just hope that I'll be able to get that here after my Paw Paws come up whenever I get some. Someone had seeds of them for sale on eBay. It would be nicer to have the tree so I wouldn't have to wait so long because I'm not a spring chicken and want to be living yet to see these trees get big enough to host Paw Paws. It would be nice tasting one of those fruits too! I have no idea how long it takes a Paw Paw seed to get to be a decent-sized tree that can host ZSTs. I had lots of Eastern Tiger Swallowtails here last year and am getting a couple trees for them this year. They obviously must have host trees in the woods that is beside us, but I'd like to plant some more for them on our property in case those ever get cut down (they aren't on our land). When our lilacs were blooming, that's what the swallowtails loved to be on. After that, they went on the Swamp Milkweed and the zinnias the most, I believe. You sure are lucky to see Black Swallowtails and Buckeyes there. Those are two that I didn't have here but hope to have someday. I think I'm jealous! ;-) What do the Buckeyes have for a host plant at your place? I planted Snapdragons last year but I guess a snapdragon isn't a snapdragon. I guess whatever they like is in the snapdragon family but maybe not even be a snapdragon, if you know what I mean. I planted the regular snapdragons that you'd see in a "normal" person's flower bed. lol Like you, I've ordered some Verbena bonariensis. You meant that you have to plant the seeds yet, right? I don't think I ever heard of an abelia shrub before, so I learned something new again. So that's a nectar plant? I think I have so many nectar plants now and believe I'll concentrate on host plants now, which is mostly what I have coming in the mail. Last year I didn't get much further than planting nectar plants. Now this year I can take out what didn't suit me and replace it with nectar plants that are almost guaranteed to work or else put a host plant in their place. Either way, I'll have to still be digging another flower garden, probably as big as the one I already have. Boy, I'm getting into this bigger than I had realized I'd get into it. All it took was a friend who started talking about butterflies and showing pictures. Then I found this forum and that really put me over the top! Ahhh, how can a person not plant all of these plants when so many people talk about the success they've had with them?! There's another one I didn't know...heuchera. I'll have to look these things up now. Oh, I love hummingbirds! I put two feeders up for them every year. I just wish I'd get more than I do. I only ever have 3 or 4 at my feeders. It sounds like your garden is going to be really nice! I hope that you will post some pictures here. I LOVE to see pictures of other people's gardens! I saw some Scarlet Runner Bean seeds at Kmart and I think that's either a butterfly attractant or hummingbird attractant or both. My hands and knees are going to be so sore from all the planting I'll have to do this spring! Ha!

I've never heard of any North American caterpillar dying on a host plant from North America - the only time I've ever heard of this happening is when some butterflies lay their eggs on an exotic variety of their host plant, like when gulf frits lay eggs on some red flowering, South American passionvines and pipevine swallowtails lay eggs on tropical pipevines. Fortunately, GFs and PVSs don't usually lay eggs on the foreign plants. Since l. texensis is a NA native, I wouldn't be afraid to plant it. I think l. texensis is an annual, so winter temps probably wouldn't make a difference. The only adverse thing that might happen is that the blues won't lay eggs on it, so you might not want to buy too many plants/seeds in case they go beggin'! :) Thank you for helping the endangered blues! MissSherry

Melissa, if our hummingbirds aren't one and the same, I betcha they're cousins. ;-) Thinman, how cool was that when the little birdie sat on your glasses?? I think these little guys just must be that sociable. Amazing! MeMo, I was at Walmart last night. The gal in front of me was buying some kind of mole poison and the gal ringing her up told her to just put out some instant mashed potatoes. The mole will eat the flakes, then without a watersource will supposedly dehydrate and die.... or go away to find a water source. I googled the idea and found a couple of references from other people who also claim this works on moles, as well as mice and gophers. It'd be pretty cool if it did work, eh? Gayle, this hummingbird thing is a new experience for me too-- I'd only seen a couple of them before in my lifetime. Now I've got a bunch of them hanging around. Saw one yesterday with a bright ruby throat. Oh man, gorgeous! Skye, I am having the same thing happen with my nasturtuims. Who knew! I planted a lot of them because they were about the only thing I could get to grow at the time. The more the merrier, I thought. 2ft x 2ft mounds, I thought. NOT. I spent much of last evening pruning those buggers. I gave a couple of them a little trellis. Not sure if they are going to be perennial for me. If not, I know for sure I will be much more careful with them next year. If they are, I think I am going to pull a few of them up after they stop their profusion of blooms. Look what the nasties are doing to my sweetpeas! In this one it's difficult to decide whether the California poppies are thugging the nasturtiums or vice versa, but look how they are invading my red poppies. Oy.

I love lupines. I seem to have them return to my garden every year and have had luck with winter sowing them. I think weather they are a short lived perenial or a biennial, it is not the same plants comming up every year. Just have to be careful to leave the seedlings and not cover them with mulch. I think you can move them when they are bigger, but they don't mind as much if you do it when they are seedlings. I have had problems with them turning black and ugly after they bloom, maybe this is normal if they are acting as biennials. Anyone else seen this happen. Is it normal or is it some sort of disease? Catrina