In 2008 we had a couple of Linden trees (also called Tilia or Boxwood) that were flowering - there was a hatching of Red Admirils that year and when you stood beneath the tree you could actually HEAR the wings beating there were so many! There were thousands. I guess every 7 years or something there is a big brood.

If you saw a butterfly laying motionless on its side, it was not puddling. Insecticidal soaps are more likely to hurt monarch eggs/caterpillars than adults. I would use them as a last resort. Check out the post linked below for some other options to battle the little sap suckers! Good luck, Tony Here is a link that might be useful: Stop aphids from destroying your milkweed

Beautiful shot Laura! All my 'silky gold' tropical should start blooming soon and excited to see if I can attract a Giant swallowtail up here too... Tony

Hi Tina_2 I know you posted this a LONG time ago and had a reply over a month ago BUT ... Do you still have Cannas to offer? I have plants. I am a few planting zones behind you so my planting material growth will be a little behind what you have in your area. Just skimming over your list of wants for your trade I would be able to offer Asiatic Lilies, Hosta, Daylily, 'variegated something' (I forget the name of this but will look it up ASAP) or ferns, and who knows what else out there in my 'run away garden'. I started amassing plants a bit over 10 years ago. Than I was diagnosed with a couple of degenerative back conditions and now I am thinning out the plants I love. I can no long weed the massive plantings I put in. I wasn't able to get my Cannas dug a couple of years ago before our zone 5 frost froze them out and I thought I would do without them. I miss them. Thanks ... Happy gardening! Stardust