Yes Val, Lloyd does have a big one... um, compost that is. Got to keep on topic here, so yes, moderators, we are talking about compost and women do like them too. :O) I knew that response to a previous post would come back to haunt me one day Lloyd. Taking photos of the evidence was an OOPS moment. Me bad! As I said, I'll return the milk pail full of compost they produce to you in a couple of years. :O) Thanks Terrene, and for Karen, here's a couple of encore pics and one of 39 Monarchs which they helped raise this past year. This was my last 'baby', a male, released on October 8th. Paul, Nothing like a Cape Bretonner (I think you are...) lashing out at a mainlander!! LOL! Yep, I show them on my garden tours. They are part of what I do and actually the interest is quite amazing. Especially when you tell them they can do it for free. It's funny because I actually migrate towards compost piles when I visit other gardens... Folks sometimes think I'm up to no good. They probably fear me taking their compost away, and rightfully so. So you'd better keep that watch dog out when I visit, eh? :O) Idaho, My husband and I get along quite well when it comes to the compost. We have an agreement. He doesn't touch my compost and I don't touch his books - he's a worm of another kind. As long as my compost results in an increase in property value, which it has, and his books stay organized, then we are all good.

Thanks you all. Yes, Greenbean gave us years of laughs. He was a hoot. I really miss him and so does John and Morgan. She is really torn up still. I am just too used to him yacking all the time the quiet gets to me. Plenty busy at work trying to restore everything after the computer crashed and things not being compatible with windows 7 on the new one, oh joy. Ready to get away for a couple of days. Yes, Lucy I can take something to Kylie for you. We are leaving early Friday morning so I need to get it tomorrow probably. The lake we are going to isn't far from her house so we will go by there Sunday before we come home.

Randy, you can move them out of the small containers whenever you want. Judy (www.butterflynature.com)never takes hers out of containers, only graduates to larger containers. I just like to wait for them to get a lil size to them, so that it is easier to find them in the larger enclosures. The larger that they get, the more they eat, the larger the frass (poop), and the more they poop! Are your milkweed leaves growing larger? You will need to get larger cuttings, and more of it, as the cats grow depending how they eat. When I move them to the larger enclosures, I put the mw cuttings in the ziploc containers with the water oasis inside the container, and drill holes in the lids to put the mw cuttings in. You don't want the holes too large for the cats to crawl down into the holes, and drown. :( I like to set the containers close to the screen of the enclosure. The Monarch cats like to crawl onto the screen when they are ready to change instars (shedding their skin). Sounds like you and Amber are doing an "excellent" job on 1st time raising Monarch caterpillars!!! Way to go!!! We thank you, and the Monarchs thank you. :) I am getting low on native mw. I keep hoping that more will pop up any day. Perhaps, with the 70 degree days that they are predicting the next 3 days? I have found that the cats found on swamp mw are more willing to go to the Trop. mw once they get a lil size to them. The ones that I've found on the Showy mw have not adapted to the Trop. mw at all. They've been dying on me. Don't know if it has anything to do with the toxicity of it??? Keep us posted.

I have some palms that i am trying out in protected locations, but no actual protection otherwise. Most are marginal here, but readily available at garden centers. Our microclimates are so complex here. Someone on the other side of town might be able to grow something that you have trouble with. Our low this winter was 29F for a bit before sunrise one day. We had a dozen or so frosty mornings and other than that we stayed around 35F. Majesty palm - outer half of fronds damaged, but already has 3 spears as of today and one opening up Foxtail- less hardy than supposed. Four large fronds completely fried, but opening a spear. I moved it to a more protected location with two-story walls on three sides and facing south. Dypsis Decipiens (manambe palm) - seedling, unprotected out in the open - no damage. Kentia Palm - No damage Flame Thrower- No damage King - slight damage I also have these, although these are given in our area: 6 Queens Phoenix Canariensis W. Robusta