In my yard tool shed every summer I have 4 or 5 paperwasp nests hanging there and I have found other places where there are several of these paperwasp nests close to each other. This sounds like something looking for a reason to exist to me. These paperwasps have always been very gentle and do not mind my messing around near their nests, unlike their cousins the Yellow Jackets that most often nest in the ground and are just mean and ornery.

Sandy, Yes, it's been really cool here and rainy. About 1 out of every 7-10 days is nice. Really yucky spring, and so I can see why I'm not seeing much action in the way of butterflies. I didn't discard the eggs, although at this point I have very little hope of them amounting to anything considering that they were laid over two weeks ago. The Monarch eggs are outside on potted tropical milkweed plants on the porch, so they're not in the warm. I brought in several Black Swallowtail eggs when she laid them on the 11th, so it's been 6 days for them now and they still didn't hatch. They're in the laundry room, which is warmer than outside but cooler than the rest of the downstairs. I still have hopes for them. I can see that the eggs have gotten to be a darker color than what they were when I brought them in. Kind of off the subject but do your false nettle plants kind of look sickly for awhile after you plant them? The ones that I started from cuttings that I took last year really look pitiful. I hope that they make it. They really looked nice insider here over the winter but they sure don't now. I don't think any Red Admirals would want to lay eggs on that unsubstantial foliage. The FN plants that are in the milk jugs from winter sowing are just teeny tiny little plants, which makes me wonder if they'll even get big enough this year at all to plant outside in the ground. I don't think they're any higher than the white part of my fingernails (and I keep my nails short!). I might end up bringing the plants inside over the winter if they don't step it up. My cardinal flower plants look the same...very tiny. I'm glad that I started some NJ tea bushes inside this year so that I might be able to get some more of those planted this year. I think only one made it over the winter that I started last year. Those were wintersown. NJ tea grows really slowly, so I'm thinking it might be best to have them going inside to give them a head start. The ones I planted outside last year were only about an inch high. Sorry that was off the subject. I'm thinking of the slow-growing plants that I have. Cathy

Okay, I ran to the store because (horrors I know) I didn't have green food coloring. THEY WERE OUT! I went to the bakery department, told them of the emergency and suggested that they give me some. Now the eggs are sitting in green egg color and I am contemplating calling them "Spider Web Eggs" for Beau's benefit. Until Nancy's post I had forgotten that one of Beau's suggestions was "green eggs and ham" for tonight's Family Dinner Night. Lily suggested edamame, go figure. Anyway, while at the store I got ham and I'll roll up cheese sticks. After Family Dinner Night, we will practice Easter Egg Hunting to get ready for our multi-family Easter Egg Hunt. I think I know where he gets his competitive nature from.

My poultry guy at the farmer's market told me that some chickens (breeds of chickens? specially raised chickens? -- I don't know) always lay double-yolk eggs. He can charge higher prices for some of his eggs because he can guarantee double yolks. People around here like them, I guess because you're only eating one big fried egg but it seems like you're eating two. So somehow you got eggs laid by the double-yolking chickens.