Hi KSOhio; I am in the Dayton, Ohio area. KC and I have had lots of conversations about butterflies. I also conduct a multitude of surveys down here. The literature states that swamp milkweed (A. incarnata) is the preference over three other native Asclepias species (Oviposition preference and larval performance of North American monarch butterflies on four Asclepias species Deborah T. Ladner & Sonia Altizer). In Florida A. curassavica is preferred over A. incarnata. (Malcolm SB & Brower LP (1986) Selective oviposition by monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus L.) in a mixed stand of Asclepias curassavica L. and A. incarnata). We find in practice that monarchs prefer A. incarnata to A. curassavica. It's just that currasavica is quick growing and can be managed easier at times because it is an annual. As to its preventing OE. Nope, we have fed it exclusively to Monarchs and gotten lots of OE. It might help the insect if a very low number of spores were consumed but I would not rely on it to prevent OE. Purchasing or importing Monarchs is a really bad idea. There are lots of reputable butterfly farms but some aren't. I volunteer at Cox Arboretum's butterfly house. We often get caterpillars from folks who have to go on vacation and "donate" their monarch caterpillar to us. The last batch was heavily infected with OE. Even so, your purchasing and raising Monarchs is not likely to help the population across the country or even in NW Ohio. The major issues for our monarchs in Ohio are as follows, 1) the condition and weather of the Mexican hibernation areas 2) the condition and weather of the first stopping over point along the gulf coast (the drought last year in Texas caused some of the lowest numbers yet) 3) the availability of nectar plants on migration (round-up ready crops have done a number on all butterflies as well as the suburbanization of farm lands). Be patient, get seed from local sources if possible and start plants this early spring and you will have all you need. In terms of the Giant Swallowtail. I would be interested in the citation for the white sapote. I have not found an article listing preferences for the GS. However, here is something to think about. You mentioned the hummingbird prefering local plants. This is very true of butterflies, with perhaps the exception of the Monarch (which makes sense since it migrates great distances). Sonia Altizer's study cites this; "Eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies (Papilio glaucus) sampled along a latitudinal gradient showed greater oviposition preference and larval performance on tree species that were relatively more abundant at their collection sites (Bossart & Scriber, 1995)." On this board we have noted that a butterfly growing in Miss Sherry's backyard may prefer something different to mine. So, I would definately think that GS's here would prefer local plants. Can you tell me why you think the GS is "dwindling"? If anything we have seen an increase. The GS is not a hardy overwintering butterfly. It can take cold temps but not well. So, with the change in our weather patterns, we are actually seeing more of them (see The Role of Environmental Factors In the Northeastern Range Expansion of Papilio cresephontes. Susan D. Finkbeiner, 2011). So, if you plant the right plants, I suspect you will attract them. Good luck, Elisabeth

I don't know about brilliant! I am limited in space when we travel. We usually either take the little Focus, or the Pickup truck, which does have a back seat, but when you get cooler and suitcases in it, you just don't have much room. We do have an Expedition, but it usually stays home. It just mostly depends on what we physically feel like at the time of the trip as we both have back problems. I've also had a fracture boot on for the last 2 summers, which limits how easy it is to get in and out of cramped spaces. The biggest reason I think I came up with this idea, was that I wanted something I could put in my purse or a folder with my list of shops/addresses/phone numbers, for the yarn shops in the states we would be traveling in. And your reason for not buying was the very reason I wanted to know what patterns I had & what yarns/amounts they took! Mostly, I tend to buy sock yarn when we go, as it's easiest to pack and takes small quantities. And it makes a nice souvinier. These socks came from....... Or I'll buy a pattern I like, then buy the yarn at my local shop. She may not have the pattern, or I might not remember what it looked like or what company published it, but she can get the yarn or something comparable that I like. Still takes little space traveling. Now get scanning! Then you won't have any reason to pass up that gorgous yarn you see next time. I wouldn't think it would be a copy write violation. You are using it for your own reference, and not sharing or copying the complete pattern. I do copy the whole pattern for my use, tho, so if I loose it or spill something on it, I still have the original put in a safe place. I can also write on it and not mess up the original. I've even had patterns that suggested it for that reason, just not sharing. Tami

The trip itself shouldn't be too bad. How does your cat react when you take him to the vet? Try to figure out if he enjoys looking out the window or if seeing everything going by freaks him out. Some animals get more car sick if they can't see out, others if they can. For a long trip I use a crate large enough for the cat and a small litterbox. About an hour before you get ready to leave, feed the cat and give him time to use the litterbox before placing him in the crate. You can offer food/water during the trip but most animals are too nervous to eat or drink. You'll have to figure out what works best for your pet but I've found elevating the crate and then covering half of it gives my pets the security they need. My DM's cat meowed a lot when we had to travel with her but when we put the small, soft carrier up in the rear window and opened one end she was happy as could be. She never left the carrier and never meowed again. (We opened one end because she'd been in the carrier for 8+hrs after air travel) Since you'll be dealing with moving during this time, I would suggest you board the cat during the whole moving process if you don't have a secure room to keep him in. Many animals disappear on moving day. I usually give my animals free reign in the motel room and if I have to leave I put a 'Do not disturb' sign on the door. I also don't allow maid service unless I leave the room and take the pet with me. Before the move, one thing you may want to try is to get your cat used to wearing a harness.....then later attach a leash and let him drag it around to get used to it. That will give you control of him if you ever need to let him out within the car or elsewhere. Depending on your pet, you may be able to give him the whole back seat if you can secure him with harness and leash.

Krakow is lovely in June, we were there last year. If you're there over Corpus Christi there should be a truly magical street procession from the main square through town to the Planty (park at the edge of the old town). It happened on my birthday last year (June 6). We also enjoyed touring the castle, a trip to the Wieliszka Salt Mines and I wouldn't say we "enjoyed" touring Auschwicz but it was interesting and informative. Not all Warsaw was rebuilt ugly. A large part of the old town was rebuilt as an exact replica of the bombed original. Look into the low cost airlines (Air Berlin, Easyjet etc) as we found the prices compared very well compared to train fares. We flew with Air Berlin from Berlin to Krakow and it was cheaper and faster than the train, even going via Dusseldorf (that was the only flight available). From Central Europe the trains are cheaper, so it depends on your route how you could best get to Ukraine. Don't book trains using RailEurope unless you want to pay a LOT more than you would pay buying your ticket from the railway in question. Get paper maps as well as GPS as GPS can tend to direct you down roads that can't easily be driven on (too narrow, not actually a road etc). Plus if the road has been closed for roadworks or something, the GPS will get hysterical trying to get you back onto the (closed) road and you won't easily be able to find an alternative way. You can ask questions and get information at www.tripadvisor.com. Go to "forums" then select the forum/s for the place/s you plan to visit for information and to ask questions.