Hello... Althea...thanks for your link..I just got back to this forum and noticed another post to my question. I agree with you about leaving the sunflower heads for the birds. I tried growing sunflowers many years ago, but my yard just didn't get enough sun and the only place that had the most sun was in the root zone of some trees, so it didn't work well. They didn't thrive so I stopped growing them. I do have one large 15x15 full sun perennial bed in my front yard, but not a great place for sunflowers [g]. I grow cosmos that the goldfinches also love and it is great watching them swaying on the stems to get them. That sounds like a great tip about the paper bag. I think they recommend that for corn from the raccoons too. oh..thanks for the link to NN...It looks like they are a part of gardenweb ring. that will come in handy...didn't know it was there. ftm...well you have more tolerance than I do for nests. I love bumble bees and are not afraid of them at all, but having them in a work area that I needed to access would be intolerable to me. Interesting story of the one that bumped you..[g] I tried googling the miday clavatus, but came up empty. Not sure if it could be a fly, but if it is, it looks exactly like a wasp. [g] Actually just re read your description and this insect has all bright orange legs. Thanks for the try.. :-) Adam

Thank you leafhead, now you are just exhausting me! :-) I am out of room for any thing larger than Marigolds, snapdragons and yes, asters. I cannot decide which asters to get. They recommend Aster lateriflorus 'Lady in Black' and Aster novi belgii Alert (red), for my area. I did find a great plant list just for the Texas High Plains, so I think I will try their local varieties. They also sell plants, however it is a long drive, but they do have native milkweed, several varieties, I would like to try. Next year I will have time to put in more garden space, as I do away with more lawn, but for now I am full-up! I think I will learn alot this summer, and by next spring I should know more about what is good for me as far as natives, and if I see butterflies I did not expect, I will plant what I can to meet their needs. I am very excited about my first season. I don't think I have a chance of seeing either a Giant or a Tiger Swallowtail. The sulfurs we get are happy with grasses, so I have that covered. I do need Violets! The list never ends.... Thanks again, Debra

Hi Steve, Sorry I missed you but stop by some time and I will give you a tour of the tiny yard. It is amazing how many plants I have managed to squeeze into it. I have even crammed in a number of trees although I have to keep them cut back in the spring or I would have no room for any of the other guys. Speaking of echinacea, I have never had a whole lot of it but it is because I NEVER saw a butterfly on the ones that I had and I didn't want to waste space which I have so little of. But last weekend I went to visit family in Belmont and they had a next-door neighbor who had several hundred of the purple ones all planted together and there were lots of skippers and lady butterflies on them so I guess number counts. Anyway, at the moment what I see most of all is skippers, hairstreaks, ladies, painted and west coast and a monarch or two along with an occasional pipe vine swallowtail. I am a little concerned about not seeing more monarchs by now but I am hoping that will improve. I have a variety of milkweed plants which have tons of seeds you are welcome to and I have started some pipe vine seedlings you can have also though they are not the CA variety. I have not had success getting the native vine seeds to germinate. The ones I have are Aristolochia durior which are native to the east but they grow much more rapidly so I have planted them as well out there. Some of the butterfly species mentioned in other posts aren't native here which is sad because many of them are really beautiful but we do have some great ones that are very rewarding to see in the yard. Murray

Ok... after reading more I realize we have a few more splurges that had not occurred to me at the time. Tomatoes on the vine or any good garden type tomato. I cannot abide a thick skinned mealy supermarket kind. Any San Marzano tomatoes for sauce work fine. It must be the soil or that water.... Sangria jelly, whenever I can find it. It is ridiculously good. The smoked whitefish spread at Costco. We have that in our house at all times. If cheese were less fattening, I'd have a whole fridge dedicated to it. As it is, I splurge on "eating cheese" (as opposed to cheese for cooking or grated cheeses) when we have guests. I love the horseradish cheddar kind or the champagne cheddar and any good asiago variety is my fave. I nibble it to try to make it last. I think I lived on a half cheese diet when pregnant as it was one of the few things that did not turn my stomach. Virginia ham is also a little splurge as it is usually more expensive than other kinds. It tastes like deli ham is supposed to taste to me. The other kinds are ok,and I'll buy them when they are much lower, but Virginia style is superior. German sausages from the German butcher are also a splurge. They carry the good European bread to go with their amazing cold cuts. I count what I buy there as eating out prices, and consider it lucky that we are not tipping for it, lol. I guess it is a way to justify those prices for eating at home and having it cost so much, lol....I don't even know what the price per lb is and prefer not to know. It is the one time I don't know prices out of everything else I do in life and hope to never know as it would ruin it for me. I get a large bag of stuff and it is spread out over several meals, but is probably our largest splurge, only done once in a while..... We do only drink imported beer and since most domestic is so awful, don't even consider that a splurge. It is a necessity to drink the better quality. After becoming used to German/Austrian beer over there, it is impossible to accept less. It sounds snobby, but if anyone did a side by side comparison, they'd forgive us ;) Luckily, we don't drink quantity. Often, dh and I will split a beer with dinner just to accompany certain foods. Our fave wine is a German reisling by Schmitte Sonne, which has a screw top, so is not crazy expensive, but it does cost more than many other whites we could buy instead. Since we buy by the case, we cut the costs some. It is always a hit when we bring some as a hostess gift.