Sandy, A comment semi jokingly about him crusin' for a bruisin' got our delivery drivers attention. After that if he tried to deliver a package and nobody was home, especially one from another country, he'd come back in the evening on his own time in his own vehicle to bring it to us. He'd always get invited in for refreshments, sometimes stay for dinner, and always wanted to see our livestock in progress. Ended up becoming a lep lover too, and a friend that we took on a few field trips with us to get him started before we moved. Hips, knees, wrists, etc... your getting old girl. ;) As always hope it goes well getting the repairs done. You've still got a lot of leps to do. I have seen a few more Lycaeiidae, Heperiidae and another Vanessa is all, no more strays. But after that last squall it has turned relatively hot again with not a breath of fresh air or any clouds. Even so, this is also my favorite time of the year here... not for leps, but because we are starting to cool off for the season and will soon be enjoying a long, cooler fall/winter with just about ideal temps. You can dress for the cold when seldom needed here, but even in Vegas walking around nude in the heat is frowned on if you are over 25. LOL Elisabeth, Everyplace has a lot of wonderful species to explore, and some of my favorites places in this country are in the midwest and east. Luckily I was able to travel for leps wherever I wanted to experience species not found where I lived. For those of you east of the slopes of the Rockies there are many, many species out west that would be new for you, and with the wide open spaces that are almost all public lands out here they are easy to "go find". There are lots of specific places here that are meccas for a lot of species too, both flora and fauna. The different habitats and landscapes make for a great trip, just like some of those back east were for me the first time I visited them. Great scenery, new species and nice people no matter where you travel is always a winner. All it takes is realigning priorities to be able to do it to whatever level works for you. Our family vacations always included some lep time even if not specifically taken for leps. We couldn't even lay on some far away beach for long before we'd all be exploring the species in tide pools or snokeling (from my marine biology days) or looking for life in the dune flora. Even staying in some hotel or resrot in a big city offered some time to look around the landscaping or immediate area. I've had a lot of strange stares in my life by walking around cities with a butterfly net. LOL Exploring nature was just too enjoyable for all of us to ignore a new opportunity with the possibility of discovering something new. Larry

I agree with floral_uk; it does look like loosestrife. here in Oregon is is a noxious weed that carries disease. Without being able to see it up close, it's tough to be sure. It is a possibility that it might be Epilobium (fire weed), but the shape of the inflorescence leads me to believe it's Lythrum salicaria.

Trust me, I've grown over 100 species of bamboo and am familiar with hundreds more, and that's not bamboo. It's true that bambooS don't flower frequently, but when they do they don't produce tassels. Just because that plant doesn't produce flowers doesn't mean it's bamboo. Many other grasses have canes that sort of look like the culms on bamboo. However, I bet if you go over and take a close look at that plant you'll see the leaves originating directly from the cane, whereas bamboo leaves don't do that: they grow on branches that are attached to the culm. In addition, i'm guessing that the plant you pictured dies back during the winter, and grows back from the ground up each year. And it doesn't leave woody, erect poles like you remember from fishing as a kid. Correct? I can't tell you for sure what the plant is because I'm not an expert on other types of grasses. it's some type of giant reed/grass, and I understand why you might think it looks like bamboo. if you decide to grow it, just remember that a lot of the reeds can be quite invasive, so you'll have to do some work to keep it under control. Maybe you should post your pictures in the Ornamental Grasses forum here on GardenWeb to get more specific ID and information about this plant. As for fishing pole bamboo,you're probably thinking of golden bamboo (Ph. aurea): Golden bamboo

Thank you SO much everyone! I had figured no one was interested, so I just started googling the names and seeing what looked like any of the plants. It took awhile, but I think I got most of what you listed, gardengal! Except I had guessed Plant H was garden phlox. This was my list: A. Maidenhair fern B. Holly fern C. Japanese painted ferns D. Wild geranium E. Hellebores F. Coral honeysuckle and Pink Lemonade honeysuckle G. Clematis H. Garden phlox <<< Asiatic lily hybrid J. Lily of the Valley L. Hardy begonia M. Mazus reptans N. Vinca minor/periwinkle O. Daylily P. Wood poppy Q. Dwarf crested iris R. Other iris/lily? <<< Iris S. ? <<< Oriental lily hybrid T. Cut it out as a weed So I guess these are present but dormant? Some of these sounded like they'd still be above ground at this time of year: - Bloodroot - Narcissus/Daffodils - Grape hyacinths - Virginia bluebells - Spanish bells - Garden phlox - Star of Bethlehem - Arum <<< not sure what type this could be referring to, maybe Jack-in-the-Pulpit? From my research, most of these seem to be "woodland" perennials who enjoy moisture and some shade, and some seem native to my region (Nashville TN, I think zone 7b). I love the lush forest wildflower theme. I've always wanted that kind of natural-feeling garden. But I think I'd make different choices in annuals, and maybe diversify from all the purples/blues? I'm looking forward to what colors the hellebores, phlox, lilies, iris, and clematis turn out to be, but I'm guessing a lot of purple/white/pink as seems to be her preference. I'd love to add perennials like dianthus, coreopsis, black-eyed susan, echinacea, and/or liatrus but I have no idea how appropriate these would be back here! I have a bed around some bushes and dogwoods out front that seems to get full-to-part sun (currently planted with pink begonias and vinca minor). docmom - that's what I was thinking. Watch what grows where for a year and learn how to maintain what's there. The Lily of the Valley, Star of Bethlehem, and grape hyacinth seem to be invasive and could take over the bed, so I'm curious to see how much grows next year. I'm also a little concerned about the clematis (which I love!) -- I'm not sure what kind it is for pruning purposes, and it's in a fairly shady spot under the dogwood. But it sounds like it'd be risky to move. Do any of these plants look like they're in trouble or not doing well from the photos? Any you'd expect to need extra attention? Thanks again for any advice, ideas, or feedback!