Thanks for the information on this! We learned a lot about local butterflies from the walk and Monarchs from the afternoon lecture. [On-topic plant reference: Especially welcome was the information on what to grow in your butterfly garden -- not just the nectar plants for the adult, but the host plants for larvae as well. I know I'll look twice before I kill a "bug" on my milkweed!] Zill

I am just now beginning to see some butterflies, too. I have had a LOT of silver-spotted skippers, and I have just now started seeing a Black Swallowtail or two, and today I saw two butterflies that I had never seen before: I saw my first Giant Swallowtail, and she was laying eggs on my citrus trees! Moments like that are why we love this hobby! Also: I saw a medium-sized black butterfly with a white ridge at the bottom of its wings. Can anyone tell my what that was? It was on the lantana. Oh, and I have had several Black Swallowtail cats on my fennel. One even made it to being a chrysalis, and this afternoon when I checked on it, it had disappeared. Could a bird have pecked it down? ??? Thanks..

I think the main impact that rain has on butterflies is in influencing how much (or little) the host plants grow. The immediate impact is that the butterflies stay perched in the trees and shrubbery while it's raining. I heard they got huge rain totals in the Florida panhandle. I got .55 on the 3rd and .50 yesterday, so my totals have been modest, but helpful - we haven't had rain in a while, and I was having to water my garden, such a pain having to deal with that unwieldy hose! It's supposed to rain every day this weekend, though, and probably all through next week, so I shouldn't have to deal with it for a while, anyway. Sherry

I love my repatium cage, it is the easiest to clean, I figured out a little trick the other day. With all the butterflies up top and safe because they are in there chrysalis and the others out on new milkweed I got the sweeper and sucked up all the frass that gets in the corners. I put papertowels down but they still get it in the corners and on top of the plastic sides. So I sucked it up and it was the easiest thing I have done. I put the towels up into the corners but, it stil get all over~ Oh how neat Gwynne, was it a big butterfly? I have seen the size they get to be and it is pretty big compared to Painted Ladies or even the BST, they are huge. Now I've noticed that when they were younger they would never stick there little orange thing above there head(I can not think of what it is called)when I changed there leaves. Now that they are older it seems like its always out when I am changing the leaves-it's funny. Like there big tough guys now.The funny thing too is I don't smell anything-my son did but I can't smell it- Aggie