Thanks for the info. I can google photos of everything you gave me and go from there. Ironically, SB's are probably the most common Swallowtail that I see. The other weekend, armed with my camera,I go marching through the woods and a large, fresh male flops leisurely by, which prompts me trudging in the bush looking for trees I haven't even identified yet. You see, my property which used to be in the county limits (recently annexed city) shares a tiny portion of about a 9-12 acre swath of of some pretty diverse habitat. There is some marshy and very low areas, there are pine backwood, scrub oak hammocks and just an overall diversity as one enters this small area. I've seen deer, wild boar families (big ones!), bobcats, all sorts of birds and wading birds due to several ponds connected to the acreage. Anyway, this weekend I'm going back into the bush to look for cats.

The really cool thing would be to allow users to have a "custom" mode that would allow them to download "X recognition" software ... where X means face-, ball-, butterfly-, bird-, etc ... as a focus controller. It wouldn't be hard, and apps would quickly fill the market. Unless, of course, the mathematics for face recognition are proprietary; but I guess it's probably standard wavelet stuff. Jeff

Yes, catman, you can find a good many red-spotted purple cats on small trees and the lower branches of bigger ones. Since the hurricane in Aug., 2005, I've been transplanting the wild cherry trees that come up in my garden to various spots in the woods that get at least a little sun - I lost several big ones in Katrina, and since Prunus serotina is such a great overall host tree, I wanted to replace them and add more. These newly transplanted, small ones are getting a lot of cats. You may have said before, but I forgot the answer, so where in Zone6b are you located catman? I'm not trying to get personal, just interested in what general part of what state you're in. Sherry

When it gets down to 40 degrees at night, I call that winter, Terrene! I watched the weather tonight, and they said that it was supposed to be in the 60's here at night in late September, so I guess it isn't all that unusual. Hearing that the country was supposed to have a 'bitterly cold winter' must have swayed my opinion, or maybe I just want them to overwinter, so I can get some rest! :) I can't recall a green chrysalis of any type butterfly, including black swallowtails, ever overwintering here, but my senior mind might be wrong. If you've had them overwinter, maybe I have, too. We still have a LOT of hummingbirds here, but then they don't normally leave until mid-October, with a few ruby throat stragglers showing up at the feeders in late October. Last winter I got a rufous hummingbird for the first time - 'sure hope I get one this winter! I'm still raising one variegated frit and some gulf frits, although most GFs are raising themselves outside. I may bring some hatchling red-spotted purples in to raise, or I may leave them outside. I released a RSP the other day, and have two more chrysalides. I'm also raising two more spicebush swallowtails and have a lot of chrysalides. The luna moths FINALLY quit eating and have all made their cocoons, thank goodness - I hope they all overwinter. The pipevines are making a lot of new growth, so if a pairing of pipevine swallowtails takes place, the vines will be ready. Terrene, if Massachusetts used to get pipevine swallowtails, they still could do so - Cathy in Pennsylvania gets them. If I were you, I'd plant some some pipevines! Sherry