I hate to admit it, because I know they carry disease, but they are kinda cute! Especially the mama possom with the babies on her back. I work with someone who lives along the river, and she always leaves catfood out for the wildlife on her back porch near her sliding glass door...if you go there at night its like peeping into a wildlife exhibit at the zoo..there's skunks, raccoons, possoms...etc. Dangerous yes, but still kinda neat! I think the only type of furry wildlife that I really have a dislike for are coyotes. We have so many of them around here and so many people are losing livestock and pets to them, that its just heartbreaking. My father lives in Warren County, VA and at one point the county was offering $50 for every dead coyote brought into animal control that was humanely killed just to control the population. Tammy

My family moved from Long Island & didn't know which plants were best for the climate. Luckily, Tennessee weather is mostly mild with a few weeks of hard winter & hot summer. If you are in the Cookeville area I can share some of my hardy & beautiful plants.

It seems like there are lots more Monarchs this year than there were in the past two years, at least in a lot of places. It may be that many of us are looking extra hard for them. I hope the weather allows them to complete their cycle and get back to the overwintering grounds safely. And hopefully all of our efforts are contributing to a healthy comeback.

Ken, no worries, you're good! That was not what I meant at all :) I talked to a local turtle expert/rescuer who helps clear new construction sites in our area. They often find turtles and relocate them before the machinery moves in. I understand she's passionate about the subject but... sheesh. And come to think about it, while she was berating me that "they are not pets," she also bragged that she had a pen full of them in her backyard and she could take mine. Oh, well, I'm glad it's over -- I'm exhausted.