Busy is right, some of the same things are going on here too, although not as much as in your yard. I think I have learned something from the Monarch Butterflies, took me a bit to get it though. I too thought how odd it was that we hadn't seen any yet. Well last week with that cold snap, the Monarchs surely wouldn't have made it, they know something we don't I think. Monarchs need it to be 60 degrees to fly and it certainly wasn't that warm last weekend. Saw the first Monarch this year in central WI on June 11th, second one yesterday and I now have one Monarch egg in the house. They are way way late this year but I think they somehow knew the weather wasn't going to be nice until now. Usually we see them the end of May. Donna

Thanks everyone! I'm still loving this color and think Rockport is definitely my favorite of the grays I've done thus far. rmkitchen, I guess the Rockport looks lighter on the exterior? Chardie, I would love to see your stairs! caminnc, can't wait to see your dining room! Mush, that's the color combo I am going for. Cream sofa, tan drapes. I want to add a bit more turquoise and a splash of orange with pillows and accessories. Maybe next month! catkin, I'll try to post some tomorrow. We've been out of town and I'm on the wrong computer. In the meantime, you can probably find photos by searching my name and the colors I've used. Here is a link that might be useful: Here's my foyer

Hazel, Squash bugs sometimes get on the foliage of Seminole, but I don't think they have caused much harm. I don't know if Seminole has better tolerance of the diseases squash bugs spread or if squash bugs don't like the taste of their leaves or whatever and just don't stick around long enough to spread enough disease to harm the plants. I do try to kill squash bugs when I see them, even though I feel like the C. moschata type plants can just outgrow them. Any squash bug you allow to live is going to be breeding the next generation and the next one and the next one....and one of those generations will overwinter and attack all your squash plants next spring. I make no attempt whatsoever to grow C. pepo or C. maxima varieties at all, except under netting or summerweight row cover. There is no point. Either the squash bugs spread diseases that kill them or the SVBs get them, so why even plant them and go through the subsequent heartbreak of losing them. However, I got to grow all I wanted for 7 years here before the squash bugs and squash vine borers even found us, and those were the best 7 gardening years of my life because I grew every kind of squash and pumpkin that I'd ever wanted to grow. Bon, It is in the garden that I find hope for the future of this world, but then when I go into the house and hear the news, it sure gets discouraging. Why can't people everywhere just love each other, help each other and get along. You know, it is hard for me to understand someone so filled with hate that they want to kill random strangers. I'd rather be out in the garden any time, but the heat does make it hard. I do love the dragon flies too. I find them adorable and cute, and am astonished how many hang out in the garden with me all the time. They are just everywhere. Our little cat, Pumpkin, thinks I am the worst person on earth because I chastise him when he is chasing dragonflies and if he doesn't stop chasing them, I take him indoors for the rest of the day. He's learned he'd better not chase and catch butterflies, dragonflies, moths, birds of any kind, lizards, frogs, toads and rabbits. He thinks I am mean and ruin all his fun. He's pretty good now about following the rules, and mostly confines his hunting and killing to rodents, but he and I have gone round and round over whether or not he is going to kill indiscriminately. He's not, and he's finally learned that. I think of the garden as a peaceful place, and in one way it is. Yet, within/among all the non-human living beings in the garden, there are lots of life and death struggles between predator and prey. Life in the garden can be pretty violent, in its own little way. Still, I find more peace and happiness there than anywhere else. In the heat of the summer, I feel like I suffer from too little time spent in the garden! Mary, That is one of my favorite garden sayings too! Dawn

It looks like something has decided your tree is a tasty snack. I don't have experience with this type of damage or pest but something I use when I treat with Neem/HO or occasionally when I folier feed my trees is Dyna-Gro's Pro-teKt, It says that it helps with building stronger cell walls in the plant and helps boost its resistance to pests and fungal infections. I have no idea how well it actually works if at all but I use it as my emulsifier instead of soap with the Neem/HO and my leaves seem like they are doing well enough. I have old pest damage from when the trees were purchased but nothing new since then. Here is the link if you want more info http://dyna-gro.com/product/pro-tekt-0-0-3/ Hopefully someone can chime in with a pest ID and treatment.