As I understand it "Reds" are, indeed resident in conifer forests. However, "Red Squirrels" around here are black, and have a white ring around the eye and a white belly. They cache huge amounts of pine cones, are relatively small, (maybe the size of a pet white rat?) and bark in a rapid-fire chatter when people go by. I've been told that "Fox" and "Gray" squirrels are simply variants and that they do hybridize, but I haven't looked it up. I don't think red squirrels can hybridize with gray or red Fox squirrels. Fox squirrels here are fairly big, and almost worth hunting. We used to eat them in Arkansas (breaded and fried like chicken is good.) I've never known the little Red squirrels to be a problem for fruit trees; I have a coworker who maintains a small orchard and had a red squirrel move in, but the only problem was the innovative places he found to stash stuff. Eventually relocated him. This video shows a reddish one, but the eye ring and behavior are the same as our blackish ones: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5605175158050772122# I've seen a lot of red Fox squirrels here in Montana and a lot of gray ones in Arkansas, and a lot of Red squirrels here, but I've never seen them share territory. All just FWIW. :-)M ps- I hope you all have a happy, healthy, and safe Forth of July.

Randy, I harvested seed from some local fields of the A. viridis here in North Texas this spring & scattered it in my wild flower area across the back of my property. I also dug up a few plants that I found to be almost impossible until I got out my sharp shooter shovel...the plants have a very deep tap root & were in very rocky, hard, dry soil. I was able to start about 3 or 4 plants & planted them out in my wild flower area, also. They disappeared during the heat of the summer here but have resprouted now that the temps have come down & the rains have been happening. I have a lot of annual tropical milkweed growing as well. I had only a few plants of it make it through our winter here even though I mulch all of them with leaves to protect them. It has been raining so much since I got back from Colorado that I haven't seen any migrating Monarchs yet. I think this is the week that they usually come through here & especially in Fort Worth, I've seen thousands in trees during the evenings in years past. I haven't raised any this year as of yet because I have been concentrating on BSTs, GSTs, & PVSTs. I have a few cats out on my milkweed right now & am planning to bring in some this month to raise protected. Not many make it to pupate here if I don't.

My friend and I are starting to see some come through our area in Central Florida. She has had a couple for the last couple of weeks, not sure if there are 2 or 3 or if the same ones continue to show up. I had my first of the season show up on Aug. 28th, a male and he stayed until the Sept. 1st. Then we saw one on the 5th - a female I think. Didn't see another until the 10th, now I have a female or could be a juvie and an adult male and possibly an immature male.

Sorry, I had not been keeping up on this thread. Thanks for the report, Ksokiegonnab. Gamebird, if the caterpillars are on parsley, then they are indeed Black swallowtails. If they can continue to eat with this "cooler" weather that we are having, they will wander off, and find a sheltered area to make a chrysalis. They will overwinter as a chrysalis, and emerge on a warm day in the spring. Moths tend to burrow down into loose soil or debris, and make a cocoon, to emerge in the spring. Betty, thanks for your exciting report of the Monarchs in your yard! Butterflies are very host specific on what they lay their eggs on. Monarchs only lay their eggs on milkweed. Snow on the Mountain is not in the milkweed family. Perhaps, there is milkweed in the alley or pasture nearby??? If you have parsley or fennel in your yard, the caterpillars may have been Black swallowtails. The tropical milkweed is easy to obtain and grow. It is an excellent nectar source, as well as host plant for the Monarchs to lay their eggs on. You may be able to find some native mw growing in some fencelines or pastures, and find some with some interesting seedpods, tobring some seeds home for a native plant area. As you increase your nectar and host plants in your garden, you will begin to find lots of butterflies seeking out your yard. Good luck with your garden, and thanks for your interest.