What area of MO do you live in, Crittergirl? I'm kinda familiar with Missouri, since I'm originally from SE Kansas, and now Oklahoma. We are getting lots of Pipevines this year, too. Heck, we're getting lots of butterflies, period! Congrats on your PVS cats - they're such gregarious lil things. I think that if you check our vendor list here, there are several mail-order sources for different pipevines. In our area, Aristolochia tomentosa, A. macrophylla, A. serpentaria, and A. clematitis do the best. The first 3 are all natives. A. clematitis is of mediterrania origin, but it works just great. It's not a vine, and I think it gets about 2'-2.5' tall. I'm finding that pinching back my pipevines really helps to stimulate new growth on them. Susan

Hi Kelly, were you able to find someone to feed them for you?? Just curious. Suzanne

Elisabeth, It's good that you mentioned that or I probably would have been hyperventilating over that one. ;-) It is good to know what to watch for. They will have paper towels under them to soak up the liquid. Susan, Now, how would you remember that I have been trying for PVSs? ;-) Yes, it took a few years, but they're finally here. Yay! I'm going to report them for my county because they haven't been reported here yet. I just love raising these! Yes, they are very gregarious...I just love it! The first one pupated yesterday and I expect a few more will today because they have their harnesses made. I think almost all of them will pupate within the next few days. Ha, I think I'd be there at the butterfly doctor right there with you. I noticed that too about the Question Marks. I didn't panic too much, just a little though. I guess it was this black that scared me because of people on here mentioning their cats making messes kind of like that and dying. I think this butterfly raising is making my hair turn gray even faster than it was before. Ha. Sandy, Yeah, they do sort of have a funky odor to them, huh. Oh, I can hardly wait to see the butterflies when they eclose! When I got my first butterfly guide and my daughter looked through it, she said the PVS was her favorite. That's when I decided that I wanted to try to get them here someday. Someone was kind enough to send me two plants. I think that was in 2007. They didn't grow much the first year, but wow, they went like gangbusters this year! I'm glad that they held off until this year because if I'd have had tons of eggs and hardly any pipevine, I don't know what I'd have done. I didn't find these as eggs but as small cats. I just hope that they weren't parasitized before I brought them in. I'd really be upset about that. I guess I just didn't think I'd be lucky enough to get eggs and wasn't keep an eagle eye on the vine, but when I walked past it one day, something brown caught my eye (actually, I guess they're a rust color) and sure enough, there they were! There was a dozen in that first bunch. Then I looked higher up and saw some more. I climbed the ladder and got those too. I counted 22 in that second group. Then the next day I found a few more groups up further. I really hate climbing ladders, but I just had to bring them in. I'm sure I had at least 60. I just haven't done a head count yet. Whenever I open up the containers, some try to escape and they can move fast, so I decided to just wait until they've all pupated and get a count then. I'll post pics on here when I have more time. Raising them is so much fun! Cathy

I bet you WERE surprised to see PVS cats this late in the year! If I were you, I'd raise them inside - if you take them back outside, the cooler temps will kill them, at least that's the experience I've had, something about going from cool to warm to cool doesn't suit them. I'm keeping my chrysalids in my unheated guest room with the blinds drawn for darkness - it stays real cool in there, but doesn't get real cold, never freezes. I closed the air-conditioning/heating vent in that room and keep the door closed. I'll bring my chrysalids outside to the front porch when the aristolochias have started making new growth - a few may emerge before that, but most won't, so the majority of them will have some plant material to lay their eggs on. Congratulations, I guess - actually, I'm glad mine are finished for the year! We had our first real freeze last night, got down to 29 degrees here, but it's already warming up. MissSherry