Hello, Hawaiiponder- I am clearly anything but an expert, since this is my first year. However, some, but not all, of our summer species here in the temperate zone will overwinter. Some, like monarchs, migrate. I am not sure about all the species of swallowtails, but BST spend the winter in the chrysalis. They will then emerge next spring to start the cycle over again. What triggers any given butterfly to eclose immediately or overwinter is certainly beyond my level of knowledge. Maybe only the butterfly knows for sure! Perhaps some other members can chime in about the habits of other swallowtail species. I am guessing that the tiger swallowtail also overwinters here as a chrysalis, but I am not sure even about that. I don't know anything about giant swallowtails, zebra swallowtails, etc. Liz

Still waiting for mine to bloom!!! I am Zone 7 Arley AL and this is the first time for me to grow them and they are really growing but NO BLOOMS??!!!! Am I doing something wrong???

Thanks, mayberry and jali! Dad is doing very well. Mom got pneumonia just before Dad's surgery, forcing us to chose a short rehab stint for Dad as Mom's in no shape to help care for him at home. That's a relief, but I've spent a lot of time on the road this past week between the hospital, rehab center and their house, trying to do what I can to help. This pesky workin' for a living really interferes with your personal life, lol! It was awesome to have a morning just to stroll around and see what all this rain has brought. Mushrooms I've never seen before are popping up! I got my first horse at age 10 and had horses continuously for 44 years. It was a marvelous run and a truly wonderful way to live. I do miss them. What I will not miss is feeding and watering in 20 below in February! The sadness is passing and I'm enjoying having additional planting space now. The pecans are an experiment. There are some huge pecan trees in Colorado, mostly along stream and river beds. They prefer a moister, more acidic soil than we have but when we flooded in 2013 an incredible amount of well, stuff, got deposited as our property runs along an irrigation canal. It's still not completely dried out from the flood. Seeing how the grass is growing in that area, I thought it might be worth trying them. They are a fussy transplant, so I went with 6 -12 inch seedlings ordered from Oikos Tree Crops in Kalamazoo, Mi. Link below. They have the potential to get 70 ft tall by 40 ft wide, although I'm not expecting quite that size in our crazy climate. It takes 10 - 15 years to get a crop, maybe longer here, but I'm hoping to taste one. Getting a little ahead of myself, aren't I? Thanks for the good thoughts and letting me overshare! Michigan pecan

Mine are always in the area of the deck. Not sure of their lifestyle but wonder if they overwinter under the deck. We just need RAIN, been so dry (just like last year when the reservoirs were nearly empty. Saw the winter forecast and they are calling for temp about 5 degrees above normal (like last year) and above average rainfall (again like last year). Only tropicals I brought inside are the tropical Ficus, Diffenbachia and Aglaonemas, and most tender palms (Coconuts, Hyophorbes, Adonidia/Veithchia), mango and papaya. I like the weather with the exception of the aridity. As long as it's seasonal I can cope, but would HATE a dry climate. I love the rain and the snow and the lushness they bring too much.