bernergrrl, This is a GREAT post. Many butterfly gardeners are not aware of the needs of butterflies beyond nectar and host plants. Many of my suggestions will not be usable for some/many butterfly gardeners because we have a one-acre butterfly sanctuary in a wooded area, but here goes: provide water source(s) leave brush piles and wood piles for protection from rain and for overwintering. leave as many trees around your garden as possible to protect butterflies from strong winds/rain/etc. provide stones, boulders, gravel in places that get good sun for warming spots for butterflies. clear spider webs from your garden to prevent butterflies from being caught and release butterflies that are caught in webs. try for multiple planting levels as various species seek out different levels. consider planting various grasses suitable to some butterflies as host plants. leave some trees IN your garden, if possible. In addition to the tree uses mentioned above, some butterflies like emperors, angle wings, wood nymphs, etc. use the bark as hiding places, places to bask in the sun, and lookout spots. provide feeder plates of rotting fruit, etc. to attract butterflies that don't nectar or don't nectar exclusively.

Hi Bob, I appreciate your comments. I did want to point out to all that this was originally posted in February of 05. I have found myself posting to an old post a number of times and didn't realize it. Easy to do. I am glad this post was resurrected as it gives me an opportunity to update. Wow, it has been two years since I posted that. So what has changed since then? Well..I don't feel overwhelmed any more and I have arrived at a comfortable pace at making changes to native. My maple tree remains and I feel fine with that decision. As I pointed out before, I am surrounded by maples of the same variety and removing mine will not make a difference at all in my immediate neighborhood. I do still hold out hope of taking the tree down, but one thing at a time. We removed a 100ft shrub border of old overgrown shrubs and started with a clean slate. Have started adding native shrubs and perennials. Clethra, a gray dogwood that someone here recommended, lindera benzoin, oakleaf hydrangea, ninebark and viburnums and a small dogwood tree and amelanchier tree so far. We are enjoying the new plants in the yard, but the change has not been without cost. Ripping out that whole border has exposed our yard all along our back lot line and we have no privacy at all whereas before no one could see into our yard. That is another reason the tree has remained. So when our new border fills in enough to give us some privacy we may find we are ready to take the tree down. Has anyone checked prices on having a tree removed? I have been hearing $1,000. Pretty steep! As for perennials...we created a long 50 ft raised border along our vegetable garden and are in the process of adding butterfly plants and other natives. Asclepias, echinacea, joe pye weed among others. We are now just beginning to add shade natives. This seems to be a little more difficult because they are expensive and not as easy to start from seed as the sun lovers are. I also am on a budget so I look for seed trades and for some reason the shade plant seeds seem to be scarce. We have also started buying more and more from the NEWFS here in Massachusetts. That is new. I have also met and have started corresponding with at least two other GW members who are also interested in native plants. Plus it just seems to me I am running into more and more posts on GW that mention an interest in natives. That is very encouraging. So..two problem plants that are still in my yard are one burning bush, that is slated for removal as soon as we can get to it. The other is a spring poppy that is not the native but the import from China. I have started pulling the non native poppy two years ago, but still am getting back some reseeded ones evidently. I think this will be the year though. I just ordered some native poppy seeds from NEWFS and hope I get good germination. I am ready to pull the next generation of the old poppy and that might do it for me then in goes the native poppy and voila! lol I am enjoying it and feeling good about it. So I hope that encourages everyone in the native forums that all your time spent responding to posts and answering questions and trading seeds is making a difference. :-) adam

Hey Eileen! Hi all ! Wow, this stuff looks great...I've been cutting and pasting since the top of the thread. I've copied some of my new rcipes, and some old favorites... pick and chose at your pleasure. They're all tried and true and are delicious... Don't know if you're planning to hire help, but I find that for a party of this size it makes a huge difference if I have someone serving and someone pacing the dishes and doing last minute prep and plating - and clean up! It's very affordable too - usually around $25 per hour per person. I usually have them for 4 hours, and give them an hour's gratuity. Ok, here goes... Ceasar Dip (this is best when made a day or two in advance)- Cooks Illustrated Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup parmesan cheese 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1 Tablespoon minced parsley 2 medium garlic cloves -- minced 1 teaspoon anchovy paste Fresh ground pepper Combine all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth and creamy. Transfer dip to serving bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until flavors blend (at least 1 hour) Serve cold with crudite ARTICHOKE-PROSCIUTTO GRATIN Adapted from: "Bon Appétit October 2002" I just served this on Thanksgiving with toasted baguette and carrot dippers (cut carrots on severed diagonal) and endive. They loved it. Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 cans artichoke hearts -- (14 ounce) drained, chopped 4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto -- chopped 4 ounces Mild Blue Cheese 10 ounces Goat Cheese 1/2 cup whipping cream 1/2 cup Chopped walnuts -- toasted 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage Toss together chopped artichoke hearts and prosciutto. Mix in Blue and Goat cheeses. Pour cream over. Sprinkle pecans, Parmesan, and sage. Bake at 350 until gratin is bubbling and sauce thickens, about 30 minutes. Antipasto This year we had a platter of the following on Thanksgiving: Grilled artichoke hearts (our favorite Italian store has them - they're still on the stem and delicious) Fresh salted mozzarella - sliced thick Fresh tomato slices Fresh basil Dried sweet salami Hot and sweet stuffed cherry peppers Mixed olives Roasted peppers Asiago cheese Served alongside a basket of bread sticks and toasted baguette ------ LionsHead Meatballs I love, love, love these...and serve them in a beautiful chaffing dish or crock...they're a nice alternative to Swedish meatballs. You can prepare the meatballs ahead (don't cook them) and freeze them on a cookie sheet. When frozen, place them in a zip lock bag until ready to use. When ready to use, DO NOT DEFROST, just saute them in a oiled pan and continue with prep as written. 1 cup "lite"* coconut milk 2 1/2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon curry powder 1 pound lean ground pork or beef 1/2 cup chopped scallions 1/4 cup minced leek -- white and pale green part only 1 small head Chinese cabbage - diced 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger -- optional (I leave it out) 2 teaspoons seeded and minced fresh chile pepper -- optional 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil *If you can't find 'lite', use regular, diluting with 1/2 water. 1. Combine coconut milk, soy sauce and curry powder in a large saucepan. Set aside. 2. Place pork (or beef), scallions, leek, cabbage, cornstarch, flour, sesame oil, ginger, chile, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. 3. Knead by hand until thoroughly combined and the mixture becomes sticky. 4. Shape into small (golf-ball size) meatballs 5. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, swirling to coat the sides. Add the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. 6. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. 7. Bring the coconut-milk mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs; cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 30 - 45 meatballs (this long cooking tenderizes them) Adapted from: "Eating Well Magazine eatingwell.com" ------ As an alternative to the Lionshead, and in keeping with the Italian theme, you can make mini Italian meatballs and serve them in a crock alongside small dinner rolls, so folks can make their own mini meatball heros. ----- I serve these with varying sauces, but they're great with just a squeeze of lemon Sue's Crab Cakes with Mustard Mayo Sauce Yield: 24ish Lots of crab and just enough bread to hold it all together. I have made these ahead of time and just reheated before serving. 2 lbs. Backfin or lump crab meat (Costco has 1 lb cans) 2 C. Fresh breadcrumbs 4 large eggs 1 C. Heavy cream 1 T. Dijon mustard 4 t. lemon juice 4 t. Tarragon - dried 4 t. onion - grated salt/pepper 1 C. Panko plus 3 cups for coating (Janpanese 'breadcrumbs') 6 T. Unsalted butter Mustard Mayonnaise Sauce (for crab cakes) In bowl, combine crab meat, breadcrumbs, an 1 C. panko. In small bowl, whisk eggs well and add cream, whisking. Add cream mixture, mustard, lemon juice, tarragon, onion, and salt/pepper to crab mixture and combine well. In a large skillet heat 1 T. of butter over moderate heat until foam subsides. Take mounded tablespoon full of crab mixture in hand, and pat panko onto the crab cake to coat (don't try to dip it in the panko as the cake will fall apart). Drop cake into pan and sauté for 2 - 3 minutes - until deep golden. Carefully turn over and cook 2 - 3 minutes more. The cakes may be cooked a few hours ahead. Place on a cookie sheet and cover. When ready to serve, reheat in 350° oven for 10 - 15 minutes. Mustard Mayonnaise Sauce (for crab cakes) 1/4 C. Mayonnaise 2 1/2 t. Stone ground mustard 1/4 t. fresh lemon juice 2 t. capers (optional) In a small bowl, whisk together ingredients. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days ahead. ---------- Shrimp Salad (Chunks of shrimp with garlic, celery, lemon, and olive oil)- can be made a day in advance. We serve this on Christmas Eve as a nice light appetizer. Mom made this for years, and it never goes out of style. It;s a nice departure from Shrimp Cocktail. 2 lbs Shrimp (we buy the large shrimp sold at the seafood counter in Costo (4 lbs for 38.99 her on LI) - they're sweet like sugar 3 stalks celery (I like to slice it about an 1/8 inch thick - if they're too wide, cut stalk lengthwise before slicing) 2 Garlic cloves - sliced very thin or minced through a press Olive oil Lemon Salt/pepper Cut shrimp into 3 pieces, toss with celery and garlic. Drizzle with Olive oil (not a lot, just enough to coat) and juice of lemon (until mixture is balanced). Season with salt and pepper. Chill for several hours or overnight. ---------- Grilled scallops with Bacon Scallops Bacon Wrap bacon around each scallop, secure with long metal skewer you can line these up on a skewer, just allow some space in between so they cook evenly). ------- Grilled baby lamb chops with mint sauce on the side Prep these ahead of time and finish right before serving. 4 racks of lamb (Costco has nice ones) Rub roasts with a mixture of rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Roast at 400 until about 125 degrees. let cool. Cut alongside each bone to make individual chops. Place on flat roasting rack, cover, and set aside. Right before passing (these should be passed so folks get them hot), give them a quick cook under the broiler, turning once...serve immediately. ---------------- Hope this helps... sue

5birdy, we went to home depot and got metal pipes to hang them. We had them cut to size there. We hired an electrician. We had our pool builder do the conduit over to the area and then the electrician wired it up along the inside of the sides with metal conduit that you can barely see. Fortunately the area where the front lights are had an area that was not totally solid, so he was able to run the wiring into the top of those cedar columns in front. Then he added an outlet for party lights on one of the top corners. He also ran the conduit very nicely for the chandelier. We added 3 switches...one for each of these lightings so they can be on separately if we wanted. We also added regular outlets on 2 of the back columns. I will take pictures and post this afternoon for you.