WOW!!! That is really really cool!!! Check out the purple spots on the caterpillar, beautifuly magnificent photos. Thanks for sharing! I've never seen a picture of the Ornythion caterpillar before. Very very exciting!

The Melochia looks wonderful, Susan! I've tried S. darcyi, but it never thrived and never came back. I planted a S. darcyi hybrid last year that I ordered from Plant Delights - I paid a big price for it, but it didn't come back either. This is one reason I decided not to order Buddleia 'Orange Septre' from Plant Delights - just because a plant costs a lot and the owner of the nursery says they've "trialed" it doesn't mean it'll do here. One of last year's new salvias that has done real well for me is S. 'Hot Lips' - it continues to grow taller and thicker, and it's in continual bloom. I love the variations in the blooms - some pure red, some pure white, but most an interesting combination. I've got S. 'San Carlos Festival' (that I ordered from Plant Delights) that only blooms once a year, also, a S. microphylla that also only blooms once, and thinly at that. I'd highly recommend 'Hot Lips' - in addition to its beauty and vigor, the butterflies (sulphurs mostly) and hummers use it. Another vigorous salvia has been S. farinacea 'Henry Duelberg' - it's grown quickly to about ?3' tall, it's making beautiful blue flowers, but I haven't seen any butterflies or hummers using it. My S. coccineas didn't return, but they reseeded all over the place, so I transplanted the seedlings to spots where a small, red shrub is in order - they bloom continually, once they start, and the butterflies all flock to it. I also had two S. ?coccineas? that have coral pink buds which open to pale pink blooms, really beautiful! One died, but, surprisingly, one has returned and is now blooming. Makes me wonder if it's S. coccinea or something else, even though the leaves sure look like it. My Salvia guaraniticas are about to bloom - it is over all the best salvia in my garden - hummers and many types of butterflies LOVE it, and it's vigorous, the electric blue color is to die for and, with a dab of fertilizer and water, it'll thrive, come back each spring, and colonize. You can plant the sprouts in places where you want more S. guaranitica. The plant that's most interesting, though, is a Rudbeckia maxima/giant coneflower that I ordered from Bustani's last year. It floundered around, got browsed by rabbits (I think I've successfully sealed the gate where I think they were getting in, because nothing has been browsed in the garden this year, knock on wood!) and never grew much or bloomed. This year it's growing so fast you can practically see it, and the leaves are huge and healthy looking - I imagine it'll bloom, and I'll get to see those huge coneflowers! I've thought about ordering Liatris ligulistylis, but I think I'll pass. I have so many nectar plants already, and I sure don't need any more plants to take care of! I also planted two willows/Salix nigra, one in my garden and one close to the house and the well house. I'm keeping them wet at all times, they're not getting browsed by any critters, and the one by the pump house has red-spotted purple cats on it. Red-spotted purple cats are everywhere this year, most of them on wild black cherry. I planted the willows hoping that I may get viceroys some day. I got them in years past (before the hurricane) but I saw one last year in the fall and the year before, so there's hope for eggs and cats. Well, I think I better stop typing - my hands are sore! :) Sherry

We generally don't recommend raising butterfly species not indigenous to a member's location. Too many variables. You'll find most, if not all, of the members on this forum attracting butterflies that are local and providing larval host plants for those particular species. I don't even know of anyone here who has ever raised the Atala anyway. But, you would be removing it from its natural habitat by attempting to raise it in your area either indoors or out. I don't know the current status of the Atala, but it was at one time on the brink of extinction and consequently, may still, at a minimum, be considered a rare species in its natural habitat. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to overcome either state and/or federal rules and regulations governing interstate transportation of either eggs, larvae, or pupae of common non-native species, let alone a rare one. I wouldn't even attempt it. Sorry...... Susan

Sandy, A comment semi jokingly about him crusin' for a bruisin' got our delivery drivers attention. After that if he tried to deliver a package and nobody was home, especially one from another country, he'd come back in the evening on his own time in his own vehicle to bring it to us. He'd always get invited in for refreshments, sometimes stay for dinner, and always wanted to see our livestock in progress. Ended up becoming a lep lover too, and a friend that we took on a few field trips with us to get him started before we moved. Hips, knees, wrists, etc... your getting old girl. ;) As always hope it goes well getting the repairs done. You've still got a lot of leps to do. I have seen a few more Lycaeiidae, Heperiidae and another Vanessa is all, no more strays. But after that last squall it has turned relatively hot again with not a breath of fresh air or any clouds. Even so, this is also my favorite time of the year here... not for leps, but because we are starting to cool off for the season and will soon be enjoying a long, cooler fall/winter with just about ideal temps. You can dress for the cold when seldom needed here, but even in Vegas walking around nude in the heat is frowned on if you are over 25. LOL Elisabeth, Everyplace has a lot of wonderful species to explore, and some of my favorites places in this country are in the midwest and east. Luckily I was able to travel for leps wherever I wanted to experience species not found where I lived. For those of you east of the slopes of the Rockies there are many, many species out west that would be new for you, and with the wide open spaces that are almost all public lands out here they are easy to "go find". There are lots of specific places here that are meccas for a lot of species too, both flora and fauna. The different habitats and landscapes make for a great trip, just like some of those back east were for me the first time I visited them. Great scenery, new species and nice people no matter where you travel is always a winner. All it takes is realigning priorities to be able to do it to whatever level works for you. Our family vacations always included some lep time even if not specifically taken for leps. We couldn't even lay on some far away beach for long before we'd all be exploring the species in tide pools or snokeling (from my marine biology days) or looking for life in the dune flora. Even staying in some hotel or resrot in a big city offered some time to look around the landscaping or immediate area. I've had a lot of strange stares in my life by walking around cities with a butterfly net. LOL Exploring nature was just too enjoyable for all of us to ignore a new opportunity with the possibility of discovering something new. Larry