Hi Angie, I'm glad to hear that the Pawpaws are doing well. Yours are bigger than mine because I didn't get mine in the ground as soon as I had wanted to, but at least they're living. I hope that if I do get ZSTs that they hold off until the trees are bigger. I'd hate to run out of food for the caterpillars. My trees are maybe 1-1/2 ft tall. I know that yours look great! I have 12 growing in our backyard and a bunch more growing in the woods. I get the idea that Pawpaws aren't very well known around here; I don't know of anyone who has planted them, but surely someone around the area besides me has planted some. I just never hear anyone talk about them. Congrats on seeing your first Viceroy! I saw my first one last year, and I saw one here this year too. Thank goodness I had my phone in my pocket when I was outside or another picture opportunity would have been missed. It's not the greatest picture, but at least a person looking at it would be able to tell that it's a Viceroy and not a Monarch. Both times I saw one I had to do a double take. I think it's pretty easy to see right away that it's not a Monarch because I think something about the coloring is just a little bit off of that of the Monarch. Not much, but it's there. I haven't seen Zebras yet at all, but I'll just be patient. I'm trusting that they'll find me someday. I think it's great that you got to see one last year, and I hope it won't be too long before you see them again. I've only even seen Mourning Cloaks here a few times and none this year. I gave up on the rotted fruit trick here because I don't have much success with it at all except for attracting lots of flies, yellow jackets and other undesirables. I did get a Question Mark on it one time a few years ago, but I can see them anyway when I raise them. Right now I have a cat on a hackberry tree. I hope it grows in time before it gets too cold here; it's not all that big yet. I wouldn't blame it if it thinks it has plenty of time; it was 91 deg. here yesterday, low 80's today, and 92 predicted for tomorrow. After that though it's supposed to go down to the seventies, which is what it usually is here this time of the year. This year has been really strange! I'm sorry to hear that you ran out of food for the SBST cats, but thank goodness at least there was an alternative closeby. I still think it's neat how you and Rachel are both into butterfly gardening! It was nice to hear from you. Sorry I don't post much, but I read pretty many posts. I think about you a lot and hope that things are going well. Cathy

Actually our new home is at the border of the metropolitan, I grew up in the busy city surroundings and our recent home is completely opposite to it.. lots of inhabitants around us, not referring to humans..:) ..reptiles, bugs, birds, mongooses and squirrels etc and after the recent monsoon rains, we sleep listening concerts of Frogs and Toads, they never tire singing their love songs..lol Its a sub-tropic climate with mild winter (no freeze) and hotter summers, rains three months a year and scarcely.. Key limes are wonderful shrubs, the flowers are fragrant and and the leaves too..! we are using the fruits as replacement to Lemons... hundreds of them still on these two 8' tall bushes... There are lots of other butterflies and moths too... but unfortunately unable to recognize them for now.. Izhar

Yes, Ron, I love blue curls. They grow around here already, but they're not very common, so I'm glad to get the seeds. I love the delicate intricacy of the flowers, and blue is my favorite flower color. On our last night before returning home from Georgia, we stayed in a hotel in Thomasville, GA. There were some plants that looked like they'd be butterfly favorites growing in a wet area close to our room, alongside cypress and willow trees, and the fact that they were blooming in late November impressed me. I suspected right away that they were Bidens alba, a plant that is supposed to be invasive, so I'd nixed planting it here before. But seeing that it mainly thrives in sandy soil, I'm thinking it might be limited by the heaviness of my soil. I took two cuttings, but them in a styrofoam coffee cup with a top to keep the water from spilling, brought them home, and put them in rooting containers. The cuttings have remained erect since I cut them, so maybe they'll root, even though my house isn't really warm enough to promote root formation. I'm thinking that this plant may be vigorous enough to root anyway. I took this picture of the flowers - The flowers were just too cute for me to resist. Sherry

Very nice gardens and butterfly house. I finally visited in early november. They had lots of African ballon milkweed. Saw about a dozen monarchs in the garden area near the water display. Also where the balloon milkweed was. Houston area also getting lots of December caterpillars.