"The festival has a policy stating that all vendors must test their product and it must be proven free of GBN in order to be able to sell there." Who performs the testing? Private labs? Does Minnesota have state-sponsored testing? I hope to see the USDA & state extension offices become more active in fighting GBN. It would be in everyone's best interest if that testing is made available & affordable to gardeners and collectors as well, since some of those are unwittingly spreading the organism through trades. I am no fan of Federal intervention in commerce, but since infected stock is being sold across state lines, this is a case where a USDA "GBN free" certification program should be initiated for all garlic sold as seed stock. "I have some Artichoke types but I generally shy away from softnecks because under my growing conditions most of those plants are weakly bolting and create bulbils in various locations - at the top of the the bulbs in the wrappers, just above the bulbs, halfway up the pseudostem, etc." While I have read of this behavior, mine have only rarely produced stem bulbils. I wish that was a more frequent occurrence, it would offer some hope of salvaging a variety, should GBN infect the bulb. It is the artichoke & other softneck garlics which are most at risk from the spread of GBN; my fear is that we could lose some heirloom softnecks completely before this infestation has been dealt with. "I too have noticed a general decline in size of what is being grown and offered out there. It was a goofy growing season in many parts of the U.S., wondering if that is the reason. I also suspect that a lot of bulb/clove stock is infected with viruses which can affect bulb quality and size, especially when combined with the stresses of a poor growing season. IMO people would be wise to break the chain and replace their entire stock by planting bulbils every five years or so, at least with types that produce bulbils. Not a complete solution but it is helpful." On that topic... correct me if I am wrong, Tom, but the use of bulbils as planting stock would only offer protection against GBN and other soil-borne organisms. Diseases tend to be systemic, and any part of the plant - bulbils included - would be infected. I have read comments from several garlic growers who believe that if they grow bulbils from stock infected with aster yellows, that the resultant crop would be free of the disease. It would be wonderful if that were true, but I doubt that would be an effective remedy. I do believe that hardneck garlic offered as seed stock (both commercially & through trades) should be more available in the form of bulbils. When I again offer garlic through SSE, I will make a statement explaining the threat of GBN, and encouraging more growers to offer bulbils. I will be doing so for all of my hardnecks. Spreading knowledge to other gardeners is key to getting a handle on GBN... my sincere thanks, Tom, for bringing this to our attention. It sure opened my eyes, especially as I begin to rebuild & expand my collection. I hope the "goofy season" is the reason for the predominance of small bulbs this year. Several of the growers that I obtained stock from ascribe to this theory, and I hope they are right. Looking back, I had several years with small bulbs, followed by years where bulbs grown from that smaller stock returned to their full size. Obviously, I hope that will happen with the stock I am planting now. It seems odd, though, to see this phenomenon occur on a national level. I don't necessarily suspect a virus, but that is a possibility... and if true, it might be yet another threat that is not being tested for. If there was one good thing about the aster yellows outbreak, it was that it generated awareness of just how fragile our garlic industry really is. Any vegetable which owes its continued existence to vegetative propagation is vulnerable to disease buildup... think Irish potatoes. " I focus instead on hardnecks, Rocamboles in particular. To me they are the best and are the focus of my attention (although I think most growers around here focus on growing Porcelains). Rokes are very winter-hardy plants. Their clove size, ease of peeling, flavor, and roasting attributes put them in high demand, even if they do not have the best storage attributes." Rocamboles are my favorite hardnecks as well. They tend to have larger bulbs than my porcelain garlics; one of them, "Special Idaho", had bulbs almost as large as my artichoke types. Additionally - and importantly - rocamboles also have especially large bulbils. Those of "Special Idaho" were often marble size. This means that it is realistic to propagate rocamboles from bulbils in a short time frame. I had been meaning to test that large-scale in 2012, but aster yellows put a halt to that. Sadfly, I have been unable to find sources for some of the rocamboles I lost... including "Special Idaho" and "Chrysalis Purple".

Photo #8 - bottom left flower (white bloom in the dogwood looking cluster) is a Bunchberry Photo #9 looks like a Wood Anemone maybe. The next looks like an orchid of some kind. I still have to search the others. Lovely photos FTM! Very lush - glad to see you had a great time - would have loved to been there! CT

Super park pics- Our parks all across the US have much to offer in way of beauty-you captured well! Of course you can have in your back yard but going out and about is great way to see, too!

Florida is a state as varied as it's residents. In the southern part, The Keys, you'll find the southernmost point in the U.S. It was also the home of Ernest Hemingway. You can tour his home and see the 5-toed cats (plenty of them), that have run of the place. The Keys are very laid back and relaxed. Maybe a little too much for some. Moving north are the Everglades, where I saw the biggest grasshopper I'd ever seen in my life. It was huge! Miami used to be "the" place for winter visitors, but it got too big, I think. Fort Myers, on the Gulf side is home to tons of winter visitors, including my DSis. Also on that coast is Sanibel Island, Long Boat Key, Anna Maria Island (my favorite) and Sarasota, winter home of Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus. The east coast from Miami north the Cape Kennedy is pretty posh and called the Gold Coast, I believe. Haven't been there for years. Of course, there's NASA and the space shuttles launch. We can see them from our yard once they are in the air. It always gives me chills and I have to say a quick prayer to keep them safe. Of course, there's Disney World, too--and Epcot--and a lot of other stuff they've added. The middle of the state is mainly agriculture--strawberries, tomatoes, sweet corn and lots of citrus. It's not the prettiest area of the state, but it is our breadbasket and we're pretty darned proud of it. We also grow cane and make a good amount of sugar here. North of that is my area, and we're known as horse country. We have many huge horse farms surrounding our town and I like looking at the little foals, wondering if they'll be the next Triple Crown winner. Lots of the horses in the Kentucky Derby this year were either born/broken/trained here or just broken/trained. It's beautiful country with rolling hills and green, green grass. North and east of here is St. Augustine where DeSoto thought he found the fountain of youth. Been there, drank the water and I can tell you he was sooooo wrong! Interesting city with lots to see and do. Daytona Beach is home of NASCAR, but mostly known for "Bike Week", when thousands of motorcycles descend on the city and have a great time. The panhandle is a joy all in it's own. Pristine beaches and the whitest, silkiest sand you could ever walk on. It's just beautiful to drive across the top part of the state on US 98. It must be what "old" Florida was like. Tallahassee, also in the panhandle, is our capital and is a pretty town with a breath-taking view as you go down Monroe St. (I think) and see the Capitol straight ahead. There is so much more to Florida than I've written here. I moved here 29 years ago and never looked back. I don't know anyone famous from here except KC and the Sunshine Band and Credence Clearwater Revival--Oh and Sister Hazel. But in all probability, there weren't born here!! :-)