Dax, that December Red graft is looking GREAT! I wish I still had my graft. I have been too embarrassed to tell you but one random day in July of 2012 (nearly right after it was planted IIRC) I was out watering my trees and the December Red was GONE. Tag was still in the cage I had configured to keep critters out. I talked it over with Arktrees and abciximab (Patrick) from the conifer forum when it happened. Best we could tell a gopher pulled it straight down and ate it. I planted a white oak seedling in the same spot that fall and in spring/summer of 2013, the same exact thing happened; it flat out disappeared one day! Really weird. I would love to try it again if you have extras and pay you or buy some rootstocks for you or something. Broke my heart when I found out it was gone. I immediately suspected it was the neighbor's kids (it was located 20' from property line) but they are well behaved. I talked to their Dad about it and I am pretty sure it wasn't taken by them/someone else since it was so small. Come to think of it, this same thing happened all the way across my property to an acer barbatum seedling I planted. Maybe I am in a Bermuda Triangle of sorts!!!Very strange... Another plus to this selection, the leaves on mine emerged a very pretty red before turning green. This is a common trait with red family oaks but it was very noticeable on my specimen. John

Tlbean, now I know the tree you are talking about. I've seen them at biltmore estate and thought about planting one, but I would rather buy locally than mail order. I guess top on my list of redbuds would be Cercis Canadensis 'Floating Clouds', it's a really nice variegated cultivar. I'm also on look out for 'rising sun', 'merlot', and 'ruby falls'.

About the only butterflies I'm seeing this year are the Pipevine swallowtails and that's because they're using the scores of little Aristolochia fimbriata plants I've planted throughout the garden. As they strip one I have to carry the caterpillars to another. Nothing has touched the Passiflra caerulea that has fed many generations of Gulf fritillaries, nor have they used the several small native Texas passion vines which are usually eaten to the ground. I've seen only one Gulf frit and it did not lay eggs. I haven't seen but maybe one or two skippers but no sulfurs although I have senna for them, no giant swallowtails, no buckeyes, and I have host plants for them; not even one little hairstreak has been seen, nor any cabbage whites. No Monarchs either. Nothing has used the fennel. There were a few Painted ladies this spring. The only thing using the many nectar plants are bumblebees, a few honey bees and the Pipevine swallowtails. It seems very strange not to have butterflies everywhere, but according to these articles it's happening not only in the US, but in the UK as well. Here, here and here are recent articles that discuss the dearth of butterflies.

Ok, box 2 came back in it was.. leaf of spring rose, (my original leaves I put in of Silverglade queens, species rupicola, Rob's humpty doo, fairy fountain, Sk fenix/russian) all of my original leaves still look good! A crassula Ovata gollum, a plantlet that didn't make it- Allegro Appalachian trail, and another plantlet that didn't make it species ionantha. :( Champagne halo leaves, half rotted- RS birth of dawn leaf, dead Anastasia, Ramblin dot trailer leaves, Ever joy plantlet, Flamingo's dance leaves, my Primulina Kazu leaf, Frosty cherry plantlet, Scandal plantlet, double black cherry plantlet, Wisteria plantlet, rotted S. confusa mather E leaves, Ever Precious plantlet, Kev's heavenly star leaves, Ma's melody girl plantlet, Kostina's fantasy plantlet, Cajun's royal knockout plantlet, Ballet fairy queen plantlet, Ever grace leaves, Buckeye gift wrapped plantlet. Wow, love the varieties. It's so weird my original stuff is ok still, and we lost some newer varieties in the box. Still, this is SO FUN, and SO WORTH doing! Thank you, Everyone- I'm so thrilled with the stuff I received back from both boxes!! Thank you sooooooo much, giant HUGS to all of you for making this so fun, and go so smoothly!!!!