Thanks. This season my 5 and 2 year old have been helping me raise some monarchs and black swallowtails. This is my first time raising them as well, so we're all learning a lot in the process...like how to ID milkweed and that I need to plant lots more fennel and carrots next season. :) We are all much more excited about getting out and seeing what we can discover. I think they're learning a healthy respect and appreciation of nature. I can't think of a more fun way for us to spend our summer together. Thanks to everyone for answering so many of my questions here and for posting such great pictures and questions of your own. I learn something new every time I check in. This is a great resource! Kim Here is a link that might be useful: My garden and caterpillars

Shanna, that should give you plenty of room to spread out! Mine's small - only about 7' deep and 16' long. If it was any bigger, though, I'd have more plants than I can manage to take care of, so I'm not complaining... Paula, I grow two different ssp. of australis. Ssp. tenuipes has smooth oval leaves that are bronze when new, turning light green as they age... This one is a real climber... And the other one is ssp. sana, has fuzzy leaves that are a little pointier, grows more bushy, some long vines that more hang down than twining and climbing and the stems are stiffer... My understanding is that all the australis ssp. have about the same flowers. I've had ssp. sana for many, many years and haven't yet gotten flowers. In fact, I'm off to the GH to pull it off the top shelf and see if (by chance...) it might be gearing up to bloom, too! Denise in Omaha

Here's what I know, or think I know about the moles and voles. As I understand it, grubs destroy your grass, leaving empty patches. Grubs also attract the moles who eat the grubs. Then the voles come in behind the moles and use and further expand the moles tunnels. The voles then eat your roots and bulbs. A few years and lots of tears ago I lost EVERYTHING including shrubs and roses and dozens and dozens of varieties of plants to the voles. (With the exception of daylillies, irises and peonies...they ate around these things leading me to conclude that they are distinctly non-food to voles). However, since then my vole problem has been minimal (I still have losses, but they are minimal). It may be coincidence or superstition but I think these measures have helped: - Use beneficial nematodes liberally to keep down the grub problem...this seems to help circumvent the cycle of destruction. - Liberally apply fermented salmon several times a year in a dose strong enough to be really stinky. The one year I used the salmon only once saw the voles come in and destroy everything that fall. The main purpose of the fermented salmon is that it nourishes the plants, but it also helps keep pests down, I've found. (I use Coast of Maine brand). - Plant your bulbs with moth balls. I know, I know, I know...it's awful, but for the few bulbs I plant I convince myself it's okay. All the bulbs I plant come up. - Cats help a lot. We have two good hunters. - Having neighbors that have a more hospitable home to voles also helps. Hehehe. - A sense of humor and belief in the temporariness of life helps. - ALSO, IMPORTANTLY....many things that did not come back the first year post-voles did come back later. Even if they leave a portion of the roots some of your plants will be reborn. Also, you'll likely find things coming up in strange places and the eat and poop vole cycle helps them rearrange your garden. Kind of fun to find things popping up in unexpected places. Just the other day I found three crocuses (I don't plant crocuses) had popped up in a little woodland garden I have with hosta and columbine. They are cheery and cute and a gift from the voles from some else's garden. Patty

I feel like such a creature of habit. I've been using Kirkland brand shampoo/conditioner for at least 3 years, my hairdresser always compliments me on how healthy my hair is, despite the fact that it's colored/highlighted. It's sulfate-free, and very cheap. And my DH doesn't mind using it as well so we have one less bottle in the shower. In 2016, I started a new skincare regime. Previously, I used Cetaphil wash and Oil of Olay moisturizer with sunscreen, which was what was recommended to me by my dermatologist in my teens. I just started using Retin-A again after 10 years of not using it, and my skin is consequently flaky and dry, so I started using Cerave AM sunscreen and Cerave PM moisturizer. And some Cerave cream that I bought for my baby on the driest spots. I discovered these Burts' Bees lip shimmers which are a lip balm with a hint of color. I had stopped using Burts' Bees a number of years ago. I had a very special dog, Pepper, a black and tan Cavalier King Charles spaniel, who loved the menthol fragrance of the Burts' stuff and would eat an entire tube whenever she could. So I stopped buying it so she wouldn't get sick. On the way to her final visit with the vet while she was dying of heart failure, we stopped to buy her a tube so she could lick it while she went to sleep :( Needless to say I didn't buy it for a while, but time does heal wounds, and I have fond memories of Pepper when I use it. I have Champagne which is just a little shimmer and Fig which is a better than natural type color. I still use Aquaphor at night though. Off of the skincare/haircare topics, I recently discovered the Anova sous vide cooking machine. I don't actually have one yet, but I borrowed one from my brother, and it's awesome. I individually vacuum sealed chicken breasts with a little lemon and parsley, then cooked them, then froze them in the same bag. Now when I want a quick lunch I can just defrost one, and they are very flavorful and moist and healthy. I did my Christmas ham in it, and I also did pork chops and the best duck breast I ever made during the week that I had it. I am a pretty decent cook, but this thing is so much fun! You can also make up sous vide packets ahead of time and keep in the freezer, then cook from frozen, then sear. I really want one but I am waiting for a sale or holiday (Valentines' Day?) to get one.