Thank you all very much. As I said I thought I had missed something very basic but I could not figure out what When I go and check my aechmea pictures there it is large as life. I must have missed it going through aechmeas and never went back to check thanks again Neil

That really is interesting Sherry. It is amazing to me to learn about regional differences within the same butterfly species. Only a very small percentage of my Sleepy Oranges which eclose in the fall are the winter color form, so it isn't something that I see often. Nerry, I am with you on the Clouded and the Orange. The Cloudless though are quite a bit larger than the other two, and they can almost appear to be green in color. They also seem to have a real love of tubular shaped flowers for nectaring here, which is not something that I see with other Sulphurs. Angie

Mike, If you're going to dig it up and re-pot it, maybe you should think about using a very large terra cotta tub with lots of soil that would keep the roots cool, and keep it outside in the shade. I would think that in your garage it could get pretty hot and with no air movement well, maybe outside shade would be better. I know where I live in 6b if the temps go up to the high 80's in the sun, they all wilt but revive soon after they are out of the sun. Couldn't imaging what they would do if the temps reached 100, but I might never know because I myself would surely melt! Just a thought........Donna

Oh my, Brigitte, I'm so thrilled you're keeping the cozy, wonderful, relaxing front porch. You're going to love it. Trust me! Now, about that powder room... Do you really want to give up a bathroom, right there in your little creative paradise, for the small amount of storage it would give you? What if you want to wash your face and hands? What if nature calls? What if you want to brush your teeth and comb your hair before tackling another four hours of crafting? I think you have the perfect relaxing, crafting, creating, thinking, reading, tea-drinking, letter writing, movie watching, visiting, music listening, girly-girls' meeting house ever. Just as the porch is vital to making it a personal get-away space and not just a storage shed in the back yard...keeping the bathroom will add the next level of civilized comfort. You could go all out and glam it up to your heart's content, and it's so small I'm sure you could do it even on a tight budget. Big medicine cabinet/mirror, sparkly light. Beautiful paint or wall-paper. Copy any era you wish. Paint the ceiling a wild color and add a tiny crystal chandelier! My crafting room is 12x12, give or take and inch or two. I finally come to the conclusion my crafting/sewing/quilting "Ladies Parlour" is only so big. I don't want to be squeezed in. I want room for my mind to create. It is not a secondary craft store. I have downsized - and am still in the process - to have room for what I work on (one project at a time for me) and still have room to sit and visit, or watch feeder birds out the window, or enjoy a DVD and a snack with a neighbor. Of course, these are just my thoughts, and I'm sure you'll make the right decisions for you and how you want to use your room. I have two Rubbermaid totes with fabric. My personal rule: No more fabric until all this is used up. I gave away décor items I had no walls to put on. I gave away dozens of sewing patterns I'll never use - and still have more to purge. I am giving more than half of my scrapbooking supplies and papers to a friend. I'm loving the room more than more. Next on the chopping block? Vintage 1940s-1960s hats. Lovely hats. Beautiful hats. But I have no where to display them and they are simply sucking up space in the boxes. My gardening/history/birding books? They are all staying!