I wish I had your optimism Comettose..... It seems like all the people moving out in this direction think the countryside is a place to do all those things they weren't allowed to do in the city. (loud cars, 4wheelers, fireworks, etc.) Its getting close to impossible for people like you and me to buy country land anymore, since the farmers would rather sell it to developers. Its a real dilemma for them I suppose......sell it to another farmer for $3,000 an acre or to a developer for $20,000/ac. Then the area plan commission and the county commissioners think they are leaving a wonderful legacy by building malls and subdivisions. There is a place 8 miles south of us that was all farmland. 1,700 acres were sold to a developer who is putting in a city. The commissioners who approved this were so proud of themselves. And the people in the small town close to us are so apathetic, no one but me complained. I don't understand how people in neat little towns and rural people can only think in terms of "gee....isn't this great........a Home Depot only 5 miles away now.......and a Starbucks! .......and......." Why did they ever choose to live out here in the first place if they don't mind this "takeover"? The only terms they think of is convenience and having more and more of the same things, only closer. How do you reach those kinds of people? They are so disconnected with nature that it isn't even part of their experience anymore. Then the developers promise to make these huge parks for the masses.(after they've bulldozed the natural landscape). Developers and city officials are also trying to connect all the cities in this region with "rails to trails" paths so people can ride bikes through the countryside and see our "rural heritage". What a joke. Then they talk about building little shops all along these paths, since people "need to eat, and buy souveneirs". I really feel like an alien. No, actually.......I feel like all of them are the aliens! We have a paradise here.......and what are we doing with it?? I understand that the sole purpose of every organism on this planet is to reproduce. That's what its all about. But mankind seems to be doing it in a way that is so much more destructive than the other spieces. I'll get off my soapbox now.

I'm not disputing you, Meldy.......it does indeed happen and as I said, sometimes birds are sighted not only out of range for a state, but a country and occasionally even a continent. I was just really trying to urge you to document it because those sightings say things to ornithologists and records are kept and can be valuable tools for translating things like irruptions, food scarcity, climate issues. I turn in rare bird sightings (only something like a gila is way out of my league, lol) and I know the hoops I have to jump through to have them officially counted. I had one sighting, and the ornithologist even agreed with me when I submitted a log, discription and drawings, but when push comes to shove though he allowed me to use it in the official count, I was disallowed to have it kept as a rare sighting. I didn't care, I'd rather be accurate than have the notariety, but a simple digital pic would have nailed if for me and with the technology now and their popularity......I am encouraging anyone who would happen to see something so rare, to document with a picture.

Hi, Susan! I'm the other Susan and am so happy you're butterfly gardening. What area of OKC do you live in? Just wondering, cause I can probably share some things with you. If I grow a host or nectar plant in a container, I want to make sure it is hardy to at least zone 6 before leaving it out over the winter. That way, I can at least be assured it has a chance of returning next year. Zone 7 plants would be "iffy" to grow in containers because their roots would be more likely to be killed if we have a winter like last year. You can always take your containers and cover them well (with leaves, mulch, plastic, etc.) in a protected area of your yard over winter, and that will help some, too. If you use plastic, I would make sure it is in a shady spot so the pots don't heat up too much on our warm winter days. You know about our great temp fluctuations here, right? Geez, sometimes you just never know. Things you can grow in pots that would be hardy are: Rue, host for Black Swallowtails and Giant Swallowtails (you can get at Precure; I shop the one on 63rd street just West of Meridian); Fennel, host for Black Swallowtails (@ Precure also); Pearly Everlasting (Painted Lady host--Precure had some when I was last in there); Passionvine (host for Gulf Fritillaries and Variegated Fritillaries) for pots, I'd get the P. incarnata or purple flowering species which is native here; don't think you will find locally, but can order from some of our sources listed in the FAQs). False Nettle (Host for Red Admirals; I can give you starts) Pipevine (for our area, Aristolochia tomentosa, macrophylla, or serpentaria, but you'll need a ton of serpentaria) you won't find locally; need to order) MILKWEED, MILKWEED, MILKWEED! You can grow tropical milkweed in containers, and probably some of the species, too. Tropical is an annual, but is the best host for Monarchs, and a great nectar plant for other butterflies). I have some milkweed seedlings I'd be happy to give you. Senna hebecarpa (Wild Senna), Partridge Pea, and Senna bicapsularis (we can dig up a seedling for you). Wild Senna and Partridge Pea will be hardy in a container, but Senna bicapsularis, whish you'll also see referred to as Christmas Cassia, is not hardy. However, it produces lots of seed, so you'll have some for next year, too. These are all hosts for the Cloudless Sulphur and Sleepy Orange. E-mail me and we can get together! So glad to see you here! Let's see, what name am I going to be now to distinguish between us? Tdog goes by CalSherry since there are several Sherries on the forum, but I can't go by OKCSusan since there are 2 of us (hee hee). How about Susan Sr. since I'm old as dirt! Susan

pixie_lou: Nice pic of the butterfly on the White Swan! That's my favorite coneflower. Not knowing much about dragonfiies, I turned to google and found this Dragonfly Site. They have a page on What Do Dragonflies Eat? which gets pretty gory, but the gist is: " Adult dragonflies eat just about anything that is edible and can be caught. They are a treasure for humanity because they keep mosquito populations under strict control by feasting on them when they are in abundance. Similarly, they also feed on ants, termites, butterflies, gnats, bees and other insects and tend to hunt in groups when large colonies of ants or termites are spotted. They are considered a pest by apiaries because they can polish off a good chunk of the bee population before one can realize the threat looming large. Writing about what dragonflies eat makes one wonder what would be the case if some of the older dragonfly species that have been found as fossils existed today. These fossil species belonging to the Meganeura genus were carnivorous insects with wings spreading to spans in the range of two and a half feet and made their food out of other insects and even small amphibians. If they were still alive today, weâÂÂd have to constantly watch our small pets to be sure they didnâÂÂt end up a dragonflyâÂÂs lunch!". Nectar is apparently not on the menu. Claire