Hmm, these were purchased locally but now that I look at the container, they were grown in Los Angeles! Maybe there were some babies in the batch! I do see lots in my garden and don't spray pesticides, but I am clueless about what to plant to encourage them. What do you suggest Ginnypenny? Wally, wish I could spray them but my oak trees' canopies are much taller than the house. I'm too scared to climb onto the roof to try and spray them. Maybe I can convince hubby that this is doable :-) Pam

Wonder when the federal government will start realizing that vertical gardening can curb the affect of weather damage and reduce greenhouse gas output? They use less water, reduce the need for pesticide, and could allow for more trees to be planted back in the fields to reduce desertification from wind, flooding, and cropping out. China proved long ago what modern agriculture and the tearing down of too many trees can do. They have stopped the cutting because the trees are proving to be worth a lot more still standing. They slow wind damage and suck up a lot of water that otherwise adds to flooding. I really hope the US on the whole can start learning from the mistakes of others rather than repeating them. There are many of us that get it before the damage occurs, but there are more that outnumber us that wait until they suffer severe, sometimes irreparable damage to admit they are screwing up and there are better ways.

Someone didn't read the warning to keep away from open flames. Bruce

"It's tough being a hornworm!" No argument there -- but even hornworms have it easier than a Cabbage butterfly larva (e.g., Pieris brassicae), infected by another Braconid wasp, Cotesia glomerata. (Cotesia congregata is the hornworm wasp.) Not only does the C. glomerata do the same thing as the hornworm wasps but to the Cabbage larvae ... When it is done emerging, they instead migrate onto foliage into a pile and pupate. Instead of letting the Cabbage butterfly caterpillar go into suspended animation, they de-zombify the caterpillar after they are safely emerged and spun, and control the caterpillar's mind to have the caterpillar spin its cocoon, but for the wasps. The new exterior cocoon is formed over the pile of little wasp cocoons, to better protect them as a second layer. Then, the hapless caterpillar is not yet done. It is further controlled to rear up and be a security guard for the metamorphosing wasps, so if any more "hyperparasitoid" wasps come along, or hungry ants, it will flick them away with its head like a bouncer at the door of a club. The caterpillar eventually dies after it's guard duty is finished and the wasps fly away metamorphosed from their cocoons. Similar wasps can actually parasitize the the Braconid wasp emerged larvae and cocoons in much the same way, so they are by no means safe! It's a dog eat dog world out there! Or a cat eat cat world!!! Here's a video with great photographic effects to demystify the unbelievable zombie mind control. I don't think anyone knows exactly how the mind alteration is accomplished even though the video makes a claim, but the two main ideas are that the symbiotic virus the mother wasp originally injected somehow does it finally getting into the cat's brain, but another idea with support is that a couple of wasp larvae stay behind self-sacrificing themselves and actually drive the caterpillar like the Martian creatures did in the War of the Worlds ... or Tony Stark in his Iron Man suit, or my favorite of all who must have gotten this idea from the wasps, Simon Bar Sinister (link) with his caterpillar in a dog eat cat eat dog world :-). Same genus of wasp, sister species, the only thing that changes is this cat is a bad Brassica pest: Cheers PC