Love your Buff Beauty. It looks better in your climate than in my hot one. It's a great rose; love love love the scent.

Jeff is right, but I wanted to expand a bit on his answer. When Echies get too leggy it is good to behead them and re-root the rosette. In your case something has gone wrong in the roots, or the stem, resulting in all of those air roots that have formed because water and nutrients no longer pass through the stem because of fungal infection (the black areas on the stem). It is necessary to cut the stem above the infection, or the cutting will fail. Normally I would just say to cut below on those air roots, and you're good to grow, but in this case you need to be certain to cut above the level of the rot. I cut about two-inches or less below a rosette because roots will form faster on short stems, and because that leaves more beheaded stem that can be set aside in it's pot to wait for new rosettes (branches) to form. However, in your case, what remains can simply be composted. It will not grow because it's already dead. Make your first cut just below the mass of air roots, and keep cutting towards the rosette until the cross-section is clear, free of any dark colored infected tissue. Keep cutting in small increments until there is no more infection visible in the stem. Then set the rosette down somewhere in the shade (upside down is fine) for 3-5 days to let the cut callous over. Then place the beheaded rosette on dry soil that is 75% or more inorganic materials like perlite, pumice, gravel, etc. Do not water until you are certain the plant has grown some new roots. This may take a few weeks, so be patient. Normally, the best time to behead Echeverias is in early Spring because the plant is entering a major growing phase and the beheaded stems will produce more branches compared to beheading in the the fall. But in your case, there is no time to lose. You must take action now, or lose the plant. Correct any soil drainage problems you may have with a new, free-draining, soil mix. Brad

Hi Norma, a picture would really be nice, the price tag really stirs up my curriousity. Greg

That is a great shot. That butterfly looks like the one in my pic. I have two butterflies. One is white and the other black like yours. Both the white and black one have the same pattern on their rear, where it is blue and orange. I suspect they may be a male and female of the same species; but, I could be wrong. The only draw back to mine is they weren't in such a beautiful setting. I shot mine in White Sulfur Springs in West Virgina. Where was yours taken? I know butterflies have a tremendous range. It doesn't look like anything that delicate can fly as far as they do, or go anywhere that the wind doesn't force them to go.