Thanks Tom! I've been an avid sports and portrait photographer for 40 years and really want to spend more time photographing nature. I would love to see some pics from you of your butterflies :) Sherry posts some gorgeous ones. Other than the frits, this has probably been the best butterfly year for me as well. I haven't seen a monarch in my yard here a few years other the occasional migrating one even though I have always grown milkweed. In Ohio, I had them all summer. It probably doesn't help that I live in a rural farming area where I assume they use fertilizers and pesticides :( It sounds as if you and Sherry have butterfly havens. When I moved to Florida 8 years ago, instead of learning by reading and attending extension agent classes, I made the mistake of planting/replanting through trial and error. I was so excited to try new plants that I couldn't grow in Ohio and I also brought some plants from Ohio that I loved that perished in the heat and humidity here. And unfortunately the result is a mish-mash of plants. I have ripped out most non-natives and planted more native and if they're not native, they must serve a purpose as a host or nectar plant. My goal is to retire in 7 years (earlier if I can make that happen) and rip everything out and start over. Right now, I work 50 hours per week and over extend myself. So, my garden suffers. For example, this weekend I have to make great dents in completing a quilt for my nephew and his wife for the birth of their first born coming the end of September (a quilt that started as just a baby quilt has grown into a much larger keepsake). I also need to finish editing my niece's senior pictures (kids these days don't want just simple headshots and want fancy effects). I also had hoped to work in the yard planting more bottlebrush, several lantanas and a few others but Hermine didn't help. We were very lucky compared to others, so I can't complain too much. We didn't have electric for an entire day, so I lost a day to work on the quilt and senior pics. So, I thought I had the perfect opportunity to work outside and at least clean up debris and try to cut up a tree that fell. But then I remembered that we have well water which uses a pump, so after I got all hot and sweaty I wouldn't be able to shower. I'm glad to hear that your garden has matured and you're reaping the benefits and that you're healthy enough to work in the yard and enjoy it. As far as being mature, my body may eventually say it's mature but mentally, I'll consider it when I reach 85 or so....maybe :) Rhonda

There is conflicting "information" about President Obama's birth certificate. Both in that and in the case of GF migration, it is not terribly difficult, in that it is a matter of whom ya gonna believe. If you have good reason to be skeptical of information emanating from UF Dept of Entomology, then maybe we all should doubt the competency of that authority. The GF migration into my yard every fall is another piece of conflicting information to add.

Happy to see that they are now staying with you, Sherry. They tend to stick around, so you should have many of them in the coming months. Congrats!

The butterfly addiction is a real thing, isn't it?! :D I'm trying A. incarnata for the first time this year, but our Texas heat may just be too much for it. Still, I'm not giving up! I planted two seedlings in the ground a couple of months ago; while they look fine (green and not dying!), they're not thriving. I have three others in a pot, and they're almost 2' tall (single stalk). I'm hoping they'll pick up speed by autumn when the weather gets a bit cooler. SH is chomping at the bit to invite some pipevine SWTs next year, but I feel I've got my hands a bit full with monarchs and black and giant swallowtails. He's already thinking about building a wooden support for the vines, even though I'd like to look for a pretty metal arched one. :) If you're willing to part with a few of your seeds (viable or not -- I'm willing to give it a shot), please PM me. TIA.