Tired of you guys? Never! ;) Too busy to sit down at the computer for so long, yes! Life started requiring more time, not to mention the tons of plants I had to tend to after deciding to "garden for butterflies"! I actually didn't leave but did get kicked off by Spike because I posted about a Yahoo group for some local friends so I ended up joining Dave's Garden. I passed on what you all taught me and always gave you all the credit! Another thank you Mike for sending me an email! I think of you when I see my beautiful yellow butterfly bush and the Mexican Sunflowers! I still have tons of stuff for butterflies but don't bring so many cats inside. I've only had BST cats this year tho and just a stray butterfly here and there. It's been pretty sad. I hope to clean out alot tho get a fresh start next year, and hope it's a better season. I'm glad to know that so many of you that I considered "experts" are still sharing your knowledge! I'll try to keep up and stay in touch, Paige

Congrats on the babies! The first thing all cats eat is their own egg casing. For what it's worth, my mom started new citrus plants from citrus seeds she dried out in her windowsill. Since I have at least one lemon per day in my water, I followed suit. The tree it grows may not produce fruit or bloom, but it has leaves and that's really all we need for this wonderful operation. She brought me 2 cats from her house this past week plus one I had found in my tree and all three have been fed from the same small citrus plant she started from seed. It may take a little bit to grow, but it's worth a shot if you're short on leaves for this go-around. I'll take a photo of the little pop-up I'm using since it's only three of them and submit it here tomorrow. One of them was already hanging this afternoon so it should be a chrysalis by tomorrow. Since it hung itself on the plant, it all has to stay in the hamper until it emerges and you'll see why I like to have an orchid ladder in there with them. Now the plant is held hostage until the butterfly comes out! So happy this system works for you, I wish I had been back on here sooner to share it with anyone else who was looking for an easier way to raise them. But it's here now and it's working for you so far, so it's great!! :)

Be sure and find out if the town you live in sprays/fogs for mosquitoes. If so, you will not be able to have host plants within 20 - 30' of the street unless you cover them on "spray nights". If you don't, butterflies might lay eggs, but all the cats will die a day after they eat their egg shell and perhaps start munching on the host plant. Where I live, my "spray night" is Thursday. I quickly learned to throw an old sheet over the host plants before dusk to keep the spray off the plants. In the morning I'd throw the sheet in the washer so it was ready for the next spray night. Now I only have host plants in the back yard so I don't have to bother with the sheets. I still worry that the butterflies that nectar on my front garden flowers are ingesting the spray though :(

Dry White Sage is a natural cheap and cheery ladybug repellent. Here is a recipe from the link listed below Garlic Oil Sprays: Organic gardeners have long been familiar with the repellent or toxic affect of garlic oil on pests. when it is combined with mineral oil and pure soap,as it is in the recipe that follows, devised at the Henry Doubleday Research Association in England, it becomes an effective insecticide. Some studies also suggest that a garlic oil spray has fungicidal properties. Protection Offered: Good results, with quick kill, have been noted against aphids, cabbage loopers, earwigs, June bugs, leafhoppers, sqaush bugs and whiteflies. The spray does not appear to harm adult lady beetles, and some gardeners have found that is does'nt work against the Colorado potaoe beetles, grape leaf skeletonizers, grasshoppers, red ants, or sowbugs. How to Make: Soak 3 ounces of finely minced garlic cloves in 2 teaspoons of mineral oil for at least 24 hours. Slowly add 1 pint of water that has 1/4 ounce liquid soap or commercial insecticide soap mixed into it. Stir thoroughly and strain into a glass jar for storage. use at a rate of 1 to 2 Tablespoons of mixture to a pint of water. If this is effective, try a more dilute solution in order to use as little as possible. How to Use: Spray plants carefully to ensure thorough coverage. To check for possible leaf damage to sensitive ornamentals from the oil and soap in the spray, do a test spray on a few leaces or plants first. If no leaf damage occurs in 2 or 3 days, go ahead and spray more. Pyrethrin The dried, powdered flowers of the pyrethrum daisy, Tanacetum cinerarifolium, were used as early as 1880 to control mosquitoes. The popularity of pyrethrum insecticides waned when synthetic insecticides were introduced, but they are now enjoying a commercial comeback. Many new products formulated with natural pyrethrums are available. Pyrethrins are the insecticidal chemicals extracted from the pyrethrum daisy. Do not confuse them with pyrethroids, the term for a new class of synthetic pesticides. Pyrethrums, which are mainly concentrated in the seeds of the flower head, are a contact insecticide, meaning the insect only has to touch the substance to be affected. Pyrthrins have a quick knockdown effect on insects: Flying insects are paralyzed. pyrethrins can be applied up to one day before harvest because they are quickly destroyed by light and heat and are not persistent in the environment. Pyrthrins will kill lady beetes but do not appear to be harmful to bees. They are toxic to fish and to the aqautic insects and other small animals that fish eat. Pyrethrins do not seem to be toxic to birds or mammals. Protection Offered: Pyrethrins are registered for flowers, fruits, and vegetables, including greenhouse crops. they are effective on many chewing and sucking insects, including most aphids, cabbage loopers, celery leaftiers, codling moth, Colarado potaotoe beetles, leafhoppers, Mexican bean beetles, spider mites, stink bugs, several species of thrips, tomato pinworms, and whiteflies. they are especially good against flies, gnats, mosquitoes, and stored products pests. Flea beetles are not affected, nor are imported cabbageworms, diamondback moths, pear psylla, and tarnished plant bugs. How to Make: If you grow your own pyrethrum daisies, you'll have the main ingredient for a make-it-yourself spray. The concentration of pyrethrums is at its peak when the flowers are in full bloom, from the time the first row of florets open on the central disk opens too the time all the florets are open. pick flowers in full bloom and hang them in a sheltered, dark spot to dry. Once the flowers have dried thoroughly, grind them to afine powder, using a mortar and pestle, old blender or small hammer mill. Mix with water and add a few drops of liquid soap. Store in a glass jar and keep the lid tightly closed, because the mixture looses activity if left open. You'll have to experiment with the amount of water to add, because the concentration of pyrethins in the flowers is an unknown variable. If the spray you make does not seem to kill insects, use less water the next time you make the concentrated spray. Also keep in mind whole flower heads stay potent longer so do not grind until ready to use. How to Use: Pyrethrins are more effective at lower temperatures, so for best results, apply in early evening when temperatures are lower. Spray both the upper and lower surfaces of the leaves, because spray must directly contact the insects such as thrips that hide in leaf sheaths and crevices. The first spray will excite them and bring them out of hiding, the second will kill them. Never use pyrethrin products around waterways and ponds. There are also products available that contain no harmful poisons one is called THE ASIAN LADYBUG TRAP I hope you found this information helpful Best of Luck