Mary, I'm so sorry he didn't make it. Thata little one that got washe aaway might have climbed up somewhere, but these are among the reasons nature provides for 500-1000 or more eggs from a single butterfly, and that is how and why we can help them increase their numbers. I hope you got those milkweed roots back in the ground so they over 80 can get ready for the next generation. I expect to be releasing more than 80 butterflies here in the next week or so, and they will be coming your way. I know others in TX have been and will be releasing more. They will need your help too.

im wondering about the crazy stone patio .... and about the tree looking telephone poled .... and what would happen to the patio.. if the tree fell over ??? the bark may have lightened due to increased sun since pruning.. normal and irrelevant ... ALL evergreen plants shed needles.. its basically cyclical ... according to the plant ... and also ... as it probably is in this case.. increased due to stress .... not to mention increased sun on parts were newly exposed to sun due to the injury and pruning .... if you note as fall progresses ... around town.. you might notice it happening on various pine trees ... with varying degrees .... there is only one thing you can do about it ... and that is focus on the growth tips.. and if those are properly green.. and look OK .. then you are all set for next year ... if the tree trunk was buried significantly.. when ever the patio was built.... the tree is probably dying in tree time.. and removal is probably the only option ... but counting in tree time .. decades.. this might happen a decade from now .. who knows .... again ... there is little you can do about the tree .. and the decision might be more about the patio ... and its possible destruction .... this MIGHT all happen in very slow motion ... and i am addressing a consideration ... i do not mean to make you flip out and worry about it .. its not like its leaning over the house ... ken

I would remove the dormers since it appears they are only decorative. IMO, the house would look better without them. I like the idea of shingles on the gable end. Sage greens or a charcoal would work. Probably I would go with a sagey color because it would reflect heat better than a dark color. White like you have works, too. Bright color for the front door?

They won’t be interested. If they cut down every tree that was within falling distance of a line, they’d be in partnership with a timber company to manufacture the nation’s toilet paper supply. I live in the Pacific Northwest with trees everywhere and we never cut down standing trees because of theoretical threats to power lines unless the trees are diseased. Power lines here routinely run through all kinds of trees and tall hedges: branches do get strategically trimmed, and occasionally there are outages when branches break unexpectedly. But I don’t understand why you would go to the expense of cutting down healthy trees near the lines based on a rather minor probability of future harm. And, if one of the trees fell and broke the line, the utility will repair it. If the utility has a concern now, which I doubt, they will deal with it. My view: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.