Jeanner, We are pretty much in the middle of North Florida. About 90 miles west of Jacksonville. We are just supposed to get lots of rain and some wind. And sometimes with this we lose power for a few days. Lots of very old trees that sometimes fall on lines due to the weight of the water and the wind. We don't anticipate any problems since we have generators and we don't have trees near the house. I might have to dump some water from the pond a few times, but that isn't a problem. Florida will probably develope some sinkholes from this, which can be very scary at times. Glenda

We have plenty of copperheads, rattlesnakes and water moccasins around here, Larry. We don't need to import any! We even have an annual Rattlesnake roundup in Okemah--I think that's Indian for Forked Tongue! Just kidding. And, I don't own any Gucci boots, but the sweat was pouring down. I was wishing for someplace to sit and someway to hold the camera steady. I did have on my Tilley hat that my SIL bought me. I wouldn't have paid that much for a hat. But, it's made of hemp and works well. And my son has taken off with my other hat--the one with the nice broad brim. Elizabeth, I don't have a hairstreak site. I use my Kaufman's guide for ID purposes. Hairstreaks are hard to differentiate because they are so small. You need to have binoculars or a macro lens to get a good glimpse. And you can get tired of checking each one out just to find that it's another Red Banded. MissSherry, I haven't encountered a Banded yet, at least that I've IDed. I hope to find one soon. They are cool with the blue by the tail. You may have the Corals around your place also. I know you have the host plants. Sandy

Hello! I moved into a new home in late winter/early spring and gained, what I thought to be, an 'empty' pond with a small amount of plants. I duly fixed the fountain, cleaned the filter and was amazed when the pond suddenly came to life. I now have frogs, toads, hundreds of tadpoles, newts, baby newts (newtlets? newtpoles?), damselflies (plus nymphs), lots of snails and other small watery bugs (not sure what they all are as this is my first experience of ponds.) My question is...the plants in the pond (lilies and irises) are beginning to take over and I would like to thin them out a bit. However, I am worried about disturbing any eggs or newly hatched creatures on the plants as I have observed the damselflies mating and laying eggs all over the leaves at water level and there are clumps of snail eggs around the pond too. Does anyone have any tips about how to deal with this and also the best way to thin the plants? Sorry for the long question but I am new to 'pond-ownership' and I'm enjoying it so much that I'm keen to get it right. Thanks :)

Ladyrose, they really do like the butterfly bushes best of all. I have three that I started from seed that get huge. Even though I have plenty of natives that they are supposed to love... they always go for the butterfly bushes. I know b-bushes are not native and invasive in some areas, but I just can't bring myself to get rid of them. The liatris spicata I have isn't usually very popular at all. I have been sowing other liatris varieties to try but they are still just tiny seedlings. I always see the the most variety from August to early September on the warmest sunniest days between noonish to about 4pm. The worst time of day to be standing out in the sun of course! I think the days leading up to or following a big weather change are good days to spot them just like with birds. When inside I'm always looking out the windows to see if there is something worthy of me dashing out there with the camera.