I'm in Zone 7 and last year I experimented with some cheap dahlias to see what happens when I left them out over winter. I left 5 in native soil (clay ammended with compost) I left 5 in a raised bed - compost and bagged topsoil. I put 5 in a ziplock with some peat and put it in an attached garage. Of the 5 in native soil, only one survived. The rest completely rotted away. In the raised bed, all 5 survived. In the ziplock, all 5 survived. For people in different zones, we got a few days of snow this year but our ground never freezes. It was a fairly wet winter overall which probably didn't help the ones in the ground. In the future, I will be lifting all of them except those in raised beds. If I were farther north, I would lift them all.

Kewl! Cypress Clubtail? I really need to brush up on my dragonfly stuff. I get so wrapped up in so many other things when they're not around, by the time they come back, I've forgotten more than I ever knew. 8-> Been there, done that, re the contortion act to get a decent shot. My family just pretends they don't know me. *heh* ICA, Sophie ^i^

You might've outdone yourownself with these! Absolutely amazing pictures! Regal Darner? We've only had an occasional dragonfly, so far. It got cold again the past few nights, but it oughtn't be too much longer before it's warm enough for them. ICA, Sophie ^i^

Rich Fruit Cake There's a lot of ingredients but you basically just mix them all together! Makes 8" round cake or 7" square. (I have also used this recipe to make a 9" round cake with excellent results) 1 lb 5 oz currants 6 oz raisins 11 oz sultanas/golden raisins 6 oz candied citrus peel 5 oz candied cherries, washed and cut into 4 pieces 1 oz sliced almonds 1 oz almond meal/flour 1 1/2 teaspoons very strong coffee 2 level teaspoons spice mix (your own preference but I use cocoa,cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice and nutmeg) Pinch of salt Zest and juice 1 small lemon 10 oz soft dark brown sugar or molasses (I use 1/2 of each) 10 oz butter 12 oz self rising flour 3 fl oz dark rum 6 large eggs Extra 1 fl oz dark rum for brushing over cake Line cake pan sides and base with parchment paper and outside of pan sides and base with brown paper (using natural string to secure) Heat oven to 250F In large bowl add spices, coffee, almonds, salt, lemon zest, and juice to fruit. Mix well then add rum and leave to soak for at least 24 hours or up to 1 week. I stir it once per day. The aroma is wonderful! In a second bowl, beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Beat eggs one at a time and add to butter mix, adding some flour with each egg. Reserve a small amount of flour to coat fruit by stirring it through fruit mixture. Gradually add butter/egg mix to fruit mix and stir until well mixed. Scrape into cake pan making a very slight depression in the center. Cover lightly with circle of parchment paper with small hole cut in center. Bake in pre-heated 250F oven just above center, until an inserted skewer comes out clean, approx 3 hours. (My 9" cakes have taken up to 5 hours!!) When cooked leave in oven for a few minutes with the door open. Remove from oven, brush over 1 fl oz of rum over top of cake. Leave in pan until totally cold, or overnight in a cool room. Remove from pan, wrap completely in parchment paper, then in foil. Store for minimum 4 weeks to mature. I brush with a little extra rum or brandy every 6 weeks if I store the cake for many months. The cake for this Christmas is over one year old.