BG, I agree with you that they don't look like plantain, honeysuckle, or viburnum. I looked up Common Lousewort and the leaves don't look like that either, nor do they look like Yellow Foxglove. I think I'll vote for Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus) because I think mine look like that. I could be wrong about the ID but the leaves look like that one to me. I'll look it up on the net because I don't have a camera to take a picture of mine. Okay, I'll watch for you to post a pictures of your meadow, that would be great. It sounds like the BC's would really love it there at your place. If I remember correctly, I think that Chelone glabra is usually in a wet area when found in the wild, so I don't know if the BC's have come to know that type of area as home and won't go anywhere else to lay their eggs even if someone has it planted in a regular garden, or if the BC's would go there anyway to lay their eggs. I'm hoping the latter is correct. I have mine pretty close to a woods and it's near a kind of wet area but not right at it. No area of our yard stays wet all spring and summer; the water just lays in a lower part of the yard for awhile (like a few days) after it rains sometimes, and it takes it awhile to dry off in the spring. It's dried off by now. I like your idea of letting your yard go back to nature. So you just let it grow and didn't kill it off to plant certain things? I had been thinking of making a "meadow" in a section of our backyard and planting some native grasses there for the skippers and possibly some wildflowers too. The only thing I don't like about it is the fact there are woods all around us and I'm afraid that small trees would keep wanting to grow up in it. I also don't like the fact that snakes would be crawling around in there, so I would be afraid to venture in there at all to look for cats. I guess I'd just let them do their own thing. After all, I can't raise every single cat that is in our yard. It keeps me busy just to care for the Monarchs and some BSTs. Last year I raised over 500 Monarchs and it was all I could do to keep sane. lol Anyway, I do like the fact that letting the grass grow would mean that we'd no longer have to buy gas for the mower. The thing is, we just bought it last year. :/ So do you have your entire yard growing naturally or do you mow some of it so you're able to walk around? I'll have to bring the subject up to hubby and see what he has to say about it. Okay, I found a picture of the penstemon and maybe you can tell by looking at the picture if that's what you have. Here is a link that might be useful: Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus)

Nice photo Jeff! I am slowly working on a project here with them. However, there is permits involved, LOL! I was talking with someone out of state who also works with them and said that you can tell the difference between males and females. He said the female markings were not quite as crisp. Do you notice that? -Elisabeth

So you have a ton of Japanese Honeysuckle, amazing fragrant flowers, it 'cares' for itself. You can't seam to kill it... what could you do? I would raise Bees. The most amazing honey I've ever tasted was created primarily from Japanese Honeysuckle. Not only could you potentially sell the honey but honey bees are having some trouble in the world today and give a helping hand to a dying species by establishing a local population would be a good thing. Eventually the bees may start other hives on the property too, you never know. But because of the amount of nectar in the Honeysuckle flowers the bees will have a ton to eat. They would be able to expand fast with such an awesome food supply. If you have a garden in your backyard or black berries on your property - Your thriving bee hive will help pollinate every flower within 5 miles. I'd give it a try before anything else. I read that goats will also eat honeysuckle, leash them up to cover a small area...they will eat it down to the ground and eventually the Honeysuckle will stop growing. Chickens will also peck an area until nothing grows. Maybe it's time to start a chicken farm - Fresh eggs and fresh poltury! Turkeys maybes? If you really must get rid of your Japanese Honeysuckle without having to start a farm, and you don't want to start some bee hives (I'd love to be able to do this myself...still trying to buy property though): (From http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/loja1.htm) Chemical In moderate cold climates, Japanese honeysuckle leaves continue to photosynthesize long after most other plants have lost their leaves. This allows for application of herbicides when many native species are dormant. However, for effective control with herbicides, healthy green leaves must be present at application time and temperatures must be sufficient for plant activity. Several systemic herbicides (e.g., glyphosate and triclopyr) move through the plant to the roots when applied to the leaves or stems and have been used effectively on Japanese honeysuckle. Following label guidelines, apply a 2.5% rate of glyphosate (e.g., Rodeo� for wetlands; Roundup� for uplands) mixed with water and an appropriate surfactant, to foliage from spring through fall. Alternatively, apply a 2% concentration of triclopyr (e.g., Garlon 3A) plus water to foliage, thoroughly wetting the leaves but not to the point of drip-off. A coarse, low-pressure spray should be used. Repeat applications may be needed. Treatment in the fall, when many non-target plants are going dormant, is best. Also, a 25% glyphosate or triclopyr solution mixed with water can be applied to cut stem surfaces any time of year as long as the ground is not frozen. Though I would never use roundup myself, that stuff is poisonous and kind of makes the dirt unusable for gardening afterwards. There is always a silver lining, sometimes you just need a little imagination or creativity. Good luck Here is a link that might be useful: From my blog: Japanese Honeysuckle is my favorite fragrant vine!

Jeff, please feel free to use whatever pictures of the Baltimores that help the cause. I'm flattered to think that my little BC raising experiment would help in any way. You're probably right about the instar but I can't remember for sure. I'll have to refresh my memory. When will you be giving the talk? Maryann in CT