Hey guys,I am so sick I dont have much energy for anything today,I am up now checking the computer before it is lights out for more than an hour or two! I have a few adjustments I need to make to my jug before I post a pic,but I promise as soon as this eases up on me I will post mine,she is a sexy girl,let me tell you..lol...such a great figure!

Christie, I sorta take the ZST sightings across the street with a grain of salt. They have raised monarchs since before I moved in in 2005, so they are not newbies. OTOH, I have no clue whether they know the differences between the different types of swallowtails we get around here. I'm not going to quiz them since they let me use their walnut tree leaves. Experience has taught me to keep my mouth shut when people have something I want. :D Sherry, I was down in southern Ohio in early May 2009 for a butterfly tour. It rained so I saw very few butterflies but when the rain stopped, ZSTs were out in force, lots and lots of them. Of the available nectar choices, they preferred hoary puccoon.

We converted one of our old sheds with a south face into a native plant conetainer nursery. We repurposed the old storm windows from the house when we put new windows in, and added 7 sliding patio door panels as skylights in the roof. I have 1200 plants started as a second year experiment. Last year we planted 350 plants with this system and am currently at about 87% success for this spring, although some of the butterfly milkweeds are still popping out of the ground. I am doing this with my expanded favorites this year. There is 12 trays of 96 conetainers in each tray. Trays are planted with Butterfly Milkweed, Round Headed Bush clover, Purple Prairie Clover, Michigan Lily, Prairie Lily, Prairie Dock, Prairie Dropseed grass, Hoary Puccoon, Prairie Turnip, Marsh Milkweed. Joe Pye, and one other that I cannot think of right now.

MY GRANDMOTHER USED TO GROW A 'CHENNILE FIRETAIL' PLANT THAT HER NEIGHBOR GAVE HER. THE THREE OF US DIDNT KNOW WHAT IT WAS SO MY GRANDMOM ENDED UP CALLING IT A (HOPE I DONT OFFEND ANYONE) 'DICK PLANT'. SHE PASSED AWAY A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO, SHE WAS ILL AND NOT WATERING HER PLANTS AND THE PLANT DIED WITH HER. THIS YEAR I WILL BE GETTING THE SAME PLANT AND CALLING THE SAME NAME.