I can understand the excitement Meredith!

Melanie said:
"I had a teacher back in high school who had a PhD in philosophy (I was in the International Baccalaureate program) and he was a strange guy. He used to challenge us all to turn off our TVs"

Along the same lines.... We were watching something like Johnny Carson or David Letterman one night many years ago & George Carlin was a guest (an old Geo. Carlin) & he was talking about how kids don't use their imagination anymore or listen to something other than electronics. He went on talking along the lines of if not for imagination & individual thought the wheel never would have been invented - that kind of thing; that if it isn't in a book then kids don't know it because they aren't taught HOW to actually THINK anymore, that they don't have to THINK. He was saying every parent should make their kid go sit in their BR for an hour a day & not have TV or radio or computers or anything -- just open the windows in the BR & they have to sit there & listen to the sounds & THINK & IMAGINE.

Melanie you should post on that teachers FB page that you are totally into butterflies now.

Wait, Meredith - you had never seen a Pipevine in your yard before? Well, woo hoo! And don't worry about the pics; as soon as I saw that flash of blue I knew even before I read your words that it was a Pipevine. Send me one of those, too! I swear, my Wooly Pipevines are actually getting some size on them this year and I can't get a Pipevine or a Polydamas to lay eggs. I need to go pick some of the leaves off of one because my brother was painting the concrete things in between the fence sections and he painted my plant. Well, several of my plants, but the Pipevine got it the worst. So maybe that's confusing them. Even the Long-Tailed Skippers haven't laid eggs on it! They're not supposed to, technically, but for some reason Wooly Pipevine confuses them and they lay eggs on it. Maybe I need some kind of neon sign that reads "Fresh Pipevine". But that would probably just attract moths.

I'm overwhelmed with what I think are Painted Lady cats. The have always come in the spring and set up camp in my antennaria and Anaphalis. I let them be because they never did much damage. But this year I am overwhelmed!! I did not get to see any of the fun blooms on the Antenarria. But at least the main part of the plant will be ok. But they have completely stripped my Anaphalis. I doubt it will recover. I wonder why the massive increase this year.

Here is the Antennaria



Here is the Anaphalis

Jennifer, they sure are enjoying those plants! I'd sacrifice plants any day to get to see the Painted Ladies.

Well, there won't be any Anaphalis for them to eat next year! But I am hoping to see just hundreds of butterflies this year!

I've read that their populations can really fluctuate. Seems like you're in a boom year!

Is there anything I should do/set up to help facilitate them moving on to their next life cycle?

Well, I wouldn't set up a bird feeder anywhere close by. Most of them should go into their wandering phase so you could find chrysalises all over the place. Or not; they can be pretty hard to find.

Thank you Melanie. No on purpose bird feeding here, so safe on that respect. I'll just let nature take its course and sit back and wait.

My goodness gracious you are simply overrun with cats Jennifer! Holy cow!!! I would surely think you will see hundreds of Painted Ladies this year.

That's amazing Jennifer, I hope you get to see a lot of the Painted Ladies flitting around your gardens.

Just saw this when I got home

Woooo Hooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

Jennifer, love the Swallowtail and those beautiful blooms!

Fiery Skipper, female?


And, another Skipper

Nice shots Lin.

Thanks Ann ... Those were taken through the windows that I'd just washed.

Oh well then those clean windows made all the difference LIn. It could not have had anything to do with your photographic abilities.

Jennifer LOVE the painted lady cats!

I panicked when I got home no sign of spicebush cat in the caterpillar condo. I kept looking. Finally found him/her on the roof of the condo. I hope that means a molt to yellow.

flaflwrgrl said:Oh well then those clean windows made all the difference LIn. It could not have had anything to do with your photographic abilities.

Ann....

Lin, you take very good photos!