I resolved the issue...you can ignore the previous post.

Leave a smallish covered bucket in the yard where she walks the dog, and tell her it's for dog deposits, so she doesn't have to carry it around, you'll take care of it. There are all too few neighbors like that. People like her don't water your plants and pick up your mail and keep an eye on your house, then deliberately make a point of sabotaging your compost pile. I don't see that you really need to point out that she made a boo-boo. I had a meth lab next door to me for three years. Trust me, when people are AHs, there's no question. Sue

Ok, so-- 1) I'm somewhat inland- we get more sun that SF-- temps regularly reach the 80's and 90's in the summer, very rarely over 100, common morning fog burning off well before noon. 2) Common butterflies in the area-- Western Tiger Swallowtail, Pipevine Swallowtail, Anise Swallowtail, West Coast Lady, Painted Lady, Monarch, skippers, perhaps the Mourning Cloak as well. All that's from other butterfly gardeners though, as I'm pretty new to this. Perhaps if Joe posts on here, he can give a more detailed answer about what we have around here. I'd love to hear if people have had personal experience with the bushes-- how they grew, how fast, how high, lots of butterflies? etc etc I figure you guys have got to be the real experts on that.

Ahughes (or anybody else), if you're interested in a trade or SASBE, check out my exchange list... Esh-ga, thanks for the good wishes on the winter-sowing. So far done 65 containers, including 38 native species and several cultivars of native species. Its been fun, and I can't wait to see how well things germinate and grow! Winter-sowing affords the opportunity to grow lots of natives that would be difficult or impossible to get at nurseries, or exorbitantly expensive to buy as plants. I bought lots of native seeds (and a few non-native) this winter and offered extras on the Seed Exchange forum. There was a lot of interest in native seeds, which was nice. But I was dismayed to see people trading invasive species like Euonymous alatus (burning bush) or Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven). One poster even explained on her exchange page how she grows Oriental bittersweet and keeps it contained on a trellis so it's okay! Yeah...only if she strips off every berry...if she saw how it's strangling native trees around here, she might change her mind!