Thanks!! It has been quite the learning experience, lol. It has been so difficult to find food for them, and I felt so bad for them when I would see them wander around looking for "better" leaves, when I was out of tender leaves, and didn't have anything better to offer them. One of the cats, maybe third instar, went on a hunger strike for quite a while, he was so weak he was falling off of the old leaf i was trying to get him to eat. Some of them have been easier to please than others, maybe half and half. But the ones that kept wandering around and trying to crawl out of their little habitats, kept me worried. I am thinking that there must not be a GST host plant anywhere else near my house, if the GST chose my sad little dward navel tree to lay eggs on, lol, because when I say it is sad, I mean it, only has foliage on one branch, I think it is damaged from sunburn from what I have found out by researching. I think my tree must have been the last resort around here, haha. THis morning I had just ran out of the last bit of new tender leaves I had, which I got from my mother's neighbor earlier this week, so I am thrilled to know that I can stop worrying about what I am going to feed these guys now, finally!! I have given some of the leaves to a few already, about an hour or two ago, and so far so good!! I do remember that the ones who got sick, got sick almost immediately after they ate the leaves, so I think you must be right Missherry, thanks for all of your advice and info!! You have been so helpful!! I really appreciate it!

I'm a bit puzzled as to why this 2 1/2 year old thread has popped up again, but I do appreciate all the photography expertise that everyone has shared. PM2, there's a second thread that came after this one if you'd like more info, linked below. I ended up getting a Nikon Coolpix P600 which has a 60x zoom (a bit longer than the 50x Cannon which I also checked out) which I like for long shots of critters in the field. I followed Jane's advice to go and hold a bunch of cameras and try them out, and found both the Canon and the Nikon comfortable, though the Nikon is a bit larger. The Nikon is also slower processing images to get ready for another shot than the Cannon, I think. I am still just beginning to learn to use it, largely using it on the standard landscape setting, though I have started checking out the different options and menus. I most often use it to take photos of critters and scenes we've spotted when we were inside since that's where it's easily available, though I also take it with me when I am going outside specifically to take photos. As Steve said above, "I also use my iPhone a lot because it's in my pocket, and it is often said that the best camera is the one you have with you." It doesn't do a great job on distance or small birds, but it has good color and is great to keep in my pocket to catch some of the surprises I see in the garden. I also use it for many of my landscape shots since it's with me and available when I'm working outside. The few times I've taken the Nikon out while I work in the garden, I've either lost track of where I've set it down, or found it in the way, so I usually just stuff the phone in my pocket when I am doing more than wandering around taking photos. In the birds and mobile features #12 thread, I've posted photos taken with both cameras: Sat, Nov 22, 14 at 9:05 - iPhone Sat, Nov 22, 14 at 9:19 - Nikon Dec 3, 14 at 18:04 - Nikon Thu, Dec 4, 14 at 7:59 - Nikon In the summer, more of the photos were phone photos since I was more likely to be out working during warm weather. Here is a link that might be useful: the second camera question thread

One of the best digital camera sites around is dpreview.com. You can spend forever reading their reviews and forums. The canons are indeed highly regarded, but there are also many nikon and sony fans as well. Personally I'm a canon guy, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that they're hands-down the best in all areas. There are digital cameras available in all price and quality ranges. It really depends on what you want to spend. I love the elphs like lowspark has, but you do pay extra for the small form factor. Canon has a range that's cheaper but larger, with similar quality in terms of lens and imaging. You should generally plan on buying a separate memory card as the ones that come with the camera are pretty lame. Figure on getting a 512MB or 1GB card. The higher the resolution of the camera the better, in general, however there are some technical issues as resolution gets above 5 megapixel. So a camera with 7 megapixel isn't necessarily always better than a 5 megapixel camera. I'd generally look for a camera with 5 megapixel or higher, and a 3x or better lens in the range of 35-135 or thereabouts. Image stabilization is very nice to have; canon has optical IS, which is generally considered better than electronic IS. Also important is speed in several areas. How long does the camera take to turn on? How quickly does it take the image once you push the shutter button? How quickly can you take multiple photos in sequence? How quickly does it focus? Those are things you can get a feel for by playing with the cameras in a local store. In general, you can't go wrong with canon, sony, or nikon.

Look for a camera with optical zoom not digital zoom. Try out the camera if you can at the camera store. those cameras you are looking at, like the point and shoots or JPB's have a limited capacity to do close up or macro work. I purchased the Canon S2IS and was disappointed to find I need to spend another $300. for accessories to get the kind of pictures Im use to from my 35mm SLR Minolta, which I bought with the telephoto and macro lenses.