When farming there are issues to consider when fertilizing during and after a drought--I honestly don't know if it would carry over to gardening or roses in particular. It might be something to think about. Fertilizers move through the soil with water. With row cropping what farmers have found is that in drought years their plants take up less of the available fertilizer in the soil because of the lack of water movement in the soil. When the drought abates and the farmer continues on with his fertilizing program he can end up over fertilizing because he doesn't adjust to the high amounts that are "left over" from the previous year(s) of drought. If farmers had a crystal ball and they KNEW in advance it would be a drought year they would reduce the amount of fertilizer before hand! I just wonder, considering your drought situation what/how much fertilizers are still in the ground from previous applications you've done that haven't been taken up yet (and would have been in wetter weather) and that are still in the ground. I also woudl wonder if putting a high nitrogen fertilizer without the benefit significant watering/rain is the best thing for plants that may already be stressed because of the drought. Again--I know that these are farming consideration, but I don't know how it applies to home gardens! It might be a good question for someone that has more experience in gardening in drought/dry areas.

I think I can help you. #1 Dawn describes all the creatures that apear when you have a water source. I know this because we poured a 12x8 cement ornamental pond on our small city lot in Edmond and suddenly the dragonflies and bats appeared. The purple martins need a larger body of water (I know this from living by the Great Lakes). The water attracts bugs and the dragonflies and bats are attracted to the bugs. Also dragonflies lay eggs on the reeds in my pond. Awesome to see so many bright colored species of these neat insects. Back to the bats. I have some plans I bought from a guy on ebay if you'd like to build your own. I don't know if it will work without a water source but if you at least have a fresh bird bath and a large light outside-I'd say its lunchtime and they'll stick around your bathouse. Just a hunch. They also love to fly over my newly plaed pool and will dive bomb to catch the mosquitos. We can lay on our floats in the pool at night and not get a single mosquito bite. (The bats are happy for our compliance also!) Let me know if I can email the bat house plans to you. We have a new printer so it may be a feat for me. The guy I bought the plans from sells premade houses on ebay if you want to search it. It is quite a chore to make the houses and he does compensate himself pretty good. Good luck to ya!

Catherine - it is possible that the bat was hit while driving and didn't fall off the grill until the car was stopped (like a large insect) Bats are hit all the time when they are chasing insects, think about how many bugs we hit with our cars. They also run into windows and walls more than we might think. Perhaps the best way to think of it is that NO wild animal should ever be touched with bare hands (or bothered at all most of the time :). All animals carry diseases of some sort or another and better safe than sorry. Most North American bats have difficulty taking off from the ground. Having four in the house right now, I see it each night (it's pretty funny to watch actually) They usually find something to climb up for a better launch. This is the reason they like their houses to be high up with no obstructions below the entrance. It is possible to not be aware that one had been bitten by a bat (esp if asleep), but I can tell you first hand that most of time it hurts! I know from working with people and bats that often people just don't want to admit to doing something foolish. I'd rather look stupid than be dead! I hope all this rambling made some sense :) here is a picture of kingbat. He's too old to release so we're his "retirement home". [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/kristysc/IM000739.jpg[/IMG]

Last night I had a interesting thing happen to me. I had just done my first Angelic connection with meditation, candles and certain harmonic rituals when I came upstairs and was relaxing. My husband was asleep upstairs . All of the sudden, what was to me a bird came flying past my head. It was small, 4 inches or so. It flew over me a few more times and then realized that it was a bat! I got my phone and started videotaping my cat going after . was encouraging my cat to kill .. inbetween my cats food and water dishes for several minutes as my cat looked puzzled. All of the sudden it just took off!!! It flew straight up in the air. Into the kitchen ( filming and screaming!). It landed on window sill, tucked it's wings (hung out). Then proceeded around. Finally landing on the kitchen mat by the back door. Paying (again). MY cat Boots was stumped this behavior left the room. started feeling like there was more to this than meets the eye. went and googled "a bat in your house" and to my surprise ***Bats Symbols of transition, initiation and the start of a new beginning. They Symbolize Death and rebirth. Death in the sense of letting go of the old and bringing in the new! In the Chinese culture bats are Symbols of Good luck. Chinese word for bat is " pronounced the same as the word for "Good Fortune" Upon reading all of this just horrible. I had covered the bat with and put a heavy stone pizza plate over the bowl so that the bat could not escape. Now I put my cat, got my phone/camera ready and uncovered the plate and bowl. He was just laying there. Lifeless. wwent to find a proper box so that I could give him a proper burial in the morning, got latex gloves on and went to move him he lifted his head!!! I jumped back !! So now I knew that once again, he wasn't ! turned off all of the lights in the house and got within a few inches of his face and just talked to him for a bit. I told him that I hoped that he would be alright and that had I known of the Symbolism, that I would have been appreciative of his presence. He truly looked sweet and cute. He had cute little itty bitty hands and without wings was only an inch wide and not much longer. He was furry like a teddy bear. left a note for my husband asking him NOT kill the bat and not to let our cat in. When he got up to around 4 bat had moved a different part of the kitchen /, and my husband picked him up and placed him on our shelf on our bbq an hour or so later when the paper came the bat was gone. Okay, so there you have it! My experience was of a Spiritual one * in my opinion * we live on the Ocean Washington State. Have a newer home with no attic, have 2 fireplaces that have closed glass doors and have never seen a bat! My conclusion is that there are good forces out there and that I got visited by one .