Black swallowtails just LOVE fennel and dill, John, but they'll eat rue, even lay eggs on it, when they can't find anything better. And giant swallowtails seem to like it nearly as well as Ptelea trifoliata/hops tree/wafer ash. I've found black and giant swallowtail eggs on rue at the same time, so it's certainly one of the better host plants. My plants in the shade have done so well, I've taken cuttings to plant out in other shady places. Since I can't work outside on this rainy day, I'm cooking (there's a pecan pie in the oven and I'll be putting a roast in the oven after I take out the pie) but I have to do SOMETHING lep related, so I made a picture of one of the American lady caterpillars. I always thought they were among the prettiest cats - Sherry

I've so enjoyed reading through this tread. My thanks to all who contributed and who take time to plant for the wildlife. Sherry, couldn't help but relate to your story regarding your blackberry canes. I, too, have been fighting the spread of Blackberry canes. I don't know if they were planted by the prior owner or by the neighbor behind me but even with me cutting each cane over and over during the growing season, they had spread so badly they were even beginning to show up all over my small grassy area in the backyard, not to mention the garden beds. Strong canes with terrible thorns that catch at fabric and skin, no matter how carefully the canes are handled. Last year I could see I was losing the battle so I purchased brush killer and carefully sprayed in the spring with the first spring flush of growth, everywhere I could spray without hitting other plants (I used a tall hollow cone to try and contain the spray to each cane). I managed to set back the growth somewhat but couldn't eliminate everything and managed to also kill spots in my lawn. Didn't want to attempt that process again but with this spring's blackberry cane again sprouting all over, I decided to try something new. I cut each growing cane I could reach down to about 6 inches above ground, soaked a cotton ball in full strength brush killer, placed the cotton ball on top of the fresh cut, covered it with a plastic sandwich baggie and used a rubber band to hold all in place. I am proud to say the cane's are dying, even the ones growing up into my neighbors flower beds, where I couldn't place cotton balls. I'm hopeful that with a season of doing this, I can get rid of the underground roots that spread so far and wide. Blackberries are wonderful but for a small city lot, some can be terribly invasive and destructive. Of course, I would not place these covered, soaked cotton balls in an area where pets or small animals might roam. I don't know if wild animals would sense the danger but I doubt if domesticated pets would know to leave them alone. I've wondered if an inverted flower pot placed over each cut cane, with a heavy rock on top, would be enough of a deterrent to keep animals from investigating? My hope is this season will see the end of the blackberry canes on my property! :-) Mary

Update on our birding activity - two weeks ago my wonderful husband installed a hummingbird feeder on my mothers bedroom window - she is pretty much bedridden and under hospice care now. We had already moved her bed around in her bedroom so she would have a full unobstructed view of the backyard and the birdfeeder station I mentioned earlier in this post. Well....that hummingbird feeder has given her so many hours of entertainment and she is not at all shy about letting us know when it is empty. She has stories to tell all the hospice home care nurses when they come about all the bird activity - this the view out her window of a hummingbird at the feeder this is her overall view out the window Lynne

Iris, you're coming in under the wire, but you made it! And what a cool theme! E-mail your address to Wendy, okay? Here's an update on who is playing, and what their theme is... Dan/dan_the_mailman.......... ALL THINGS YELLOW Becky/proudgm_03............. CELEBRATE FALL Carmen/gardencraze........... CURIOUS CONTENT BY ME Linda/lindaruzicka........... ON A MISTY MORN Leah/dancingrabbit........... ALL THINGS WILD Melissa/hazelnutbunny........ I DON'T WANNA GROW UP! Joan/ejmoore510.............. JACK-O-LANTERN JAMBOREE Wendy/sassybutterfly_2008.... MOONLIGHT SERENADE Kamil/kamiljablo............. A LITTLE BIT OF THIS N' A LITTLE BIT OF THAT... Amelia/amelia_pepper_lady..... BAYOU BLUES Heidi/bhnash ................. CHOCOLATE & VANILLA (yum!) Annie/canyonwind.............. GIRLS (AND BOYS) JUST WANNA HAVE FUN Laura/lilangel1181............ ALL THINGS BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL Daisy/Margarita10............. MARGARITAVILLE Margo/smitties................ AROMATHERAPY Alana/poisondartfrog.......... VAMPIRE SLUMBER PARTY Deb/debbya.................... FOR THE BIRDS Tery?/tergrov................. WOODSTOCK Jess/jessied.................. WARM COLORS, COOL TREATS Iris/rane_grow................ SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW And I believe that makes 20 players, if everyone has stayed current. Cool!