Hi toni!!!! I think you are right! I have been noticing the leaves looking limp on the cordy, and it never occured to me to check for mites!!!! I thought they were like that because of a transplant 2 weeks ago..Shoot, I will look tommorrow..Thankyou All of the plants were aquired all over the place through the years....Some at Logees, and some at Mahonies, even some at Home Depot..Yup. Home Depot..lol. Of course the ones that I wanted to save...;lol My last visit to Logees aquired me a couple of camellia plants and a blood orange about 5 inches high and already in bloom..Also meeting a couple of nice garden forum members.. Wish you could see this place..I owe you some pics and need to ask you for a few suggestions later.. Thankyou for you compliment, it means alot coming from you..:-) Hugs, Mike

Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily), Croton, Syngonium, more Spathiphyllum, Palm, Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes). 'Baby Safe Houseplants' says Spathyphyllum and syngonium contains 'calcium oxalate raphides. If eaten by a child, these plants can cause pain, swelling, and intense irritation of the mouth, lips and throat." They can also cause digestive problems and the worst case the swelling might cause obstruction to the airways. According to the book, the others aren't likely to cause problems. If the cat seems uncomfortable a call to your vet is probably in order. FWIW, my vet had me call the (human) Poison Control Center when I found my cat eating Poinsettia; they were very helpful and didn't seem to mind answering questions about pets. ASPCA also has a poison hot line for animals, but I think you have to pay for it. Good luck. WW

Plaidthumb, Yes, I am still here. lol Not planning on going anywhere else despite the heat, which does bother me more the older I get. I just greatly reduce the number of hours I spend outside in June, July and August and try to get outside as soon as possible after sunrise, back inside before noon, and then sometimes back out in the late evening. Less hours outside in the summer months means nothing stays as well-weeded, but I just do the best I can. I'm not going to kill myself working out in the extreme summer heat. It isn't worth it. That's true about repeated exposure to poison ivy just making things worse. My DH grew up around it so was exposed to it for many years and is more sensitive to it than I am. I wasn't around it much growing up so am much less sensitive to it now. We don't try to kill it. Just try to cut it back from pathways and keep it out of the garden. I mostly keep it out of the garden by cutting it back to the ground and then spraying it with a brush killer labeled for poison ivy as soon as it resprouts. It doesn't reallly kill it, but it knocks it down pretty hard for a few months. With 14.5 acres, most of which is heavily wooded, we'll never be rid of it so we just try to keep it back from the paths through the woods, and out of the garden. The plant in your "viney thing" photo is Virginia Creeper. Note the arrangement of 5 leaves instead of 3. It is very aggressive but, as far as I know, not poisonous. I pull it out of my garden with my bare hands and it hasn't caused me any sort of allergy-type reaction, but we have let it grown in the shrub bed on the north side of the house, and all throughout the woods as well. Your last photo is the dreaded poison ivy. We have a couple of different kinds here. There is one that climbs strictly by climbing/vining and it is always obvious because of its very hairy roots. There is another one that grows more like a tree and it is everwhere along the pasture fencerows here that are left in their natural state instead of being sprayed with Roundup or weedeated periodically. Dawn

I searched "organic Ant Bait" and found this. There are other sites too. Topic Organic Control of Ants in your Home 1. Identify what ant species you are dealing with, and do some research. Each species has different habits and locating their food, water and shelter will determine your success. 2. Inspect and watch the activities of the ants; find where they are coming and going. If you find how they are entering your home you can physically exclude them. 3. Remove or alter the conditions which brought them into the house. Keep counters clean of food. If they are in search of water try to keep sinks and surrounding areas dry. Wiping counters down with vinegar or citrus oil can work as a temporary deterrent. 4. If steps 1-3 do not slow the ants down it is time prepare a treatment plan. An important fact to remember about ants is that you are only seeing a small portion of the colony at any one time. It has been said that only 10% of a colony will forage outside the nest. Taking this into consideration we must bait the colony to solve the problem. Applying any insecticide organic or chemical will not work to solve an ant infestation in the long run. It could cause the colony to bud or split into multiple colonies creating more problems. 5. Liquid baits are highly attractive to ants and under most conditions provide good control. Mixing 9 tablespoons of sugar to 1 teaspoon of boric acid in enough water to dissolve. Place the liquid bait into spill proof containers out of the reach of children and pets. The stations will need to be placed along active ant trails. . It is important to remember that boric acid contains elemental boron and at high concentrations will sterilize the soil. This process is slow and will require continued monitoring and refilling of the bait stations. 6. OutSmart ant bait is a highly attractive food source for ants; it provides quicker control for foraging ants because it contains a much higher percentage of boric acid. Outsmart is a boric acid bait that is purchased in syringes from local garden centers or at www.biosmart-ideas.com. 7. Ants have a habit of changing food sources from sugars to carbohydrates. It may become necessary to mix peanut butter with boric acid to supply both forms of bait to keep the ants feeding on the boric acid. 8. There are ant baits with the active ingredient abamectin. These baits can provide good control and should be used for heavy infestations or when other bait is not effective. It can be applied in stations around foraging ants or broadcast around ant trails. 9. The next step up will be asking a professional pest control operator to use the assortment of baits at their discretion. Many times it comes down to having a working knowledge of the habits of a particular ant species to solve your pest problem. Ask questions and become an informed consumer.