Lots of great advice here! the procedures and depths vary per state. You should call before you dig, every dig. I do not recommend taking pictures for future reference. If you're planning a project, just call or go online and enter a request. This is the safest (legally and physically) way to dig. Generally you can dig in the area where underground lines have been marked. However, you MUST use extreme caution and preferably hand tools. Don't go hacking away with a backhoe on top of a marked area. www.call811.com will provide ALL information needed (FAQ, local information, and helpful tips). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. THIS IS THE 'GO-TO' SITE PRIOR TO DIGGING. Here is a link that might be useful: CALL811.COM

Yippee: These specific questions are hard to answer. I know some folks do try to follow that kind of directions specifically. You could try to direct sow now if that is your preference. But remember that some seeds will wash away, some will be eaten by birds or other critters, etc. I just wintersow and try to keep it simple. I rarely read directions and most things germinate. Some don't, but most, by far, do. The beauty of wintersowing is it's simplicity. Mother Nature gives us temperature swings naturally, and waters the seeds for us with rain and snow. If I were trying to grow those things, this is what I'd do. Notice the first 2 need cold temps, followed by warm. Wintersowing will give you the cold temps, followed by warm when the spring weather arrives. For the Asclepias fascicularis, physocarpa, and syriaca I'd plant closer to spring, around March. If it germinates, I'd plant out and wait for bloom the next year. I'm not guaranteeing that this would work for you the way I mention, that's simply what I'd do. But that's just me, I try for easy. OK, maybe lazy. And I don't stress about it anymore. If someting doesn't germinate, I try again next year and have fun in the process. Can you tell, this will be my 4th year wintersowing. At first I worried and stressed over things, it's true. I think I've overcome that now. I know that most plants will drop seeds and they grow, as they have for thousands of years without our help. Karen

Christie, It has been my understanding that if a county is blue, it could mean that only one person reported seeing a particular species in his/her county. It could also mean that more than one person (perhaps dozens) could have reported it for that county. Although I'm no expert, I guess I sound like I know enough about the butterflies to be able to identify them, etc. Of course, I had pictures of them when I reported the butterflies for my county. Last year I got Pipevine Swallowtails here and reported them with a pic. It hadn't been reported previously and I noticed at some point after that (could have been months, I don't know), our county turned blue. I was assuming that my report turned it blue. The butterfly coordinator told me that it was a county record, and he said the same thing the year before when I reported the Giant Swallowtail. I had pictures to back up my report. That being said, I suppose anyone could falsely report a butterfly. I don't see what would stop some unscrupulous person from just taking any picture that they find of someone else's and reporting it for their county. I don't actually know what they'd gain from it though; it's not like you win a prize for reporting a record butterfly. :) I am hoping that people are honest when reporting a certain species, but I suppose there are a few who give false reports for whatever reason. The maps in the books (butterfly guides) give people a general idea of what butterflies are found in each state, but that's not detailed enough for me. So when I was deciding on what kinds of butterflies to try to attract here, I went to the website you mentioned to get a better idea of what I might be able to get. I did a map search for my county and started an Excel spreadsheet of the butterflies that had been reported here. I also looked up the host plants from that website and from this forum's list of host plants and put host plants in another column. At first I got the idea that those were the only butterflies that I'd be able to get here, but then I decided to do a state search. When I did that, I found more kinds of butterflies that had been reported in several counties surrounding mine but not in mine. I figured if they had been reported in counties that close that I'd be able to get them here too, so I decided to try for the Pipevine Swallowtail and Giant Swallowtail and got them. Now I want to try for the Zebra Swallowtail and have planted a dozen paw paw trees. Yes, I want them in the worst way! lol I have 98 species of butterflies listed in my file, although I don't think I'll try for every single kind. Anyway, just because your county is blue for a particular species doesn't necessarily mean that you'd absolutely be able to get that one at your place. Conversely, just because your county isn't blue doesn't mean that you can't get the butterfly there. I'd look at the map at the counties surrounding yours also to get a better idea. Once you have a pretty good idea of the types of butterflies that you'd like to try to attract at your place (and surely there are ones that you get there already), then you can decide what host plants to plant. For instance, I know that the endangered Karner Blue butterfly caterpillar eats Lupinus perennis/wild lupine, so I started some of that here; however, I also know that there are only two counties in our state (and they're far away from me) that reported the KB, so I'm not going to hold my breath for them to come here. Also, there's no savannah habitat near here, which is what they require, so I guess I'll be happy with the other types of butterfly cats that eat the plants. There were already plants here for some types of butterflies like violets for the fritillaries and plantain for the buckeyes so that saved me from planting them, but I've planted a lot of wildflowers, weeds, trees, and bushes for butterflies that I've already seen here and for butterflies that I'd like to get here. The butterfly garden isn't real busy some years, but it's a huge attraction other years. I would encourage anyone to try for as many types of butterflies as possible because I'm sure many of them could use our help. Sometimes we might be disappointed, but it's been my experience that the pleasant surprises far outweigh the disappointments. I guess this is more than what you asked...lol...sorry. I get excited in the summer...butterflies galore this year! :-D Cathy

The confusion usually results from good old semantics - interpreting the same word differently. "Presuming" which is something we all do. The goal is NOT to "water consistently" but to maintain consistent soil moisture levels. But that doesn't mean water everyday or water once a week or give it the same 2 gallons each day at 10 am, unless the soil the plant is in needs it. In other words, you have to first check out the soil before you water. Stick your finger deep into the soil. If it is cool and slightly damp, no water is needed...right now. Check again later. Some times the plant may need water 3x a day, some times if it has been raining regularly only once in 2 weeks. Some days it may need 1 gallon, some days 2 1/2 gallons divided into 2 applications. This is one reason why a drip irrigation system set on slow drip and an auto timer is so great! :) Is it in a container or in the ground, if a container how big, variety, stage of growth, where is it in the feeding cycle, weather, age of plant, type of soil, etc. etc. All those variables affect how much water and when. Bottom line there is no magical formula for watering and you can't make up one. Well, with one exception - too much water is worse than too little. The plant's appearance and the dirt the plant is growing in will tell you if it needs water. Look at the plant and stick your finger deep into it before watering and when in doubt - don't water. Dave