Just thought I would start a general chat thread for everyone.

Thanks, Jay.

That was a fun first day!

Love everything I got dibs on.

Just a few numbers for those interested.
There are 233 unique items being offered in this swap
There are 227 items on wishlist
So far there have been 48 dibs claimed with 4 tickets still out.

So far @molanic leads the way with 11 item sold followed by @kchd and @poisondartfrog with 10. @wildflowers has sold 8 and @NatureCrone with 7. I've sold 2 and @froggiesgirl 1.

Now that was fascinating for my first day of my first swap on ATP.

Remember tomorrow you will start with 8 tickets. So you might want to go through your wishlist and give high stars to your top 8 to 10 wants.

The swap is awesome! I got my first four in my wishlist and I am so excited! Thank you all for a great start!
@horntoad Thanks so much!

and a lot of thanks to @dave for creating a great program that makes it so easy on the swappers and hosts.

If you really want to attract butterflies that you've never seen before, try Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). I had a tree about 8 feet tall at my previous home and it was full of butterflies when it was in bloom! I can't wait to get more seeds so I can grow 2 or 3 in my yard here!

Can't wait for tonight!

I love my Button Bush. I took a cutting from a wild one and by the end of the next summer it was about 9 feet tall.

I have always been impressed with the nectar buttonbush provides to pollinators. The insects really flock to it. Another overlooked plant for providing nectar are the Pycnanthemums. We have P. incanum around here, and I am in love with it. So is my husband, who loves to help me collect seeds from it because it smells so heavenly.

I'm going to have to look in to those. I just checked BONAP and they show Pycnanthemum albescens and Pycnanthemum tenuifolium as native to this county.

If anyone wants some P. incanum, I can add another pack of seeds to the swap. Just say so!

I'm trying to grow Buttonbush from seed right now; put seed out just this past fall. Need a "fingers crossed" emoticon.

Kchd, I snatched up your Pycnanthemum incanum! You are right about Pycnanthemums being very attractive to all kinds of pollinators. Actually, I used to have P. incanum at one time but it disappeared after several years of drought. I'm looking forward to growing it again!

I grabbed up the mountain mint too. Katie was just telling me how good it is for pollinators. I really love the plants with good smelling foliage too. I'm always rubbing the agastaches, carolina allspice, garden sage, and lemon balm and then smelling my fingers when I'm outside. The neighbors must think it quite odd!

I got my buttonbush from a local native plant sale so I haven't grown it from seed myself. I don't get many butterflies on it, but the bees and little flower beetles absolutely love it. I planted it in my sump pump/ bird pool/ rain garden area and it does really well with all the water. Unfortunately, I have crammed so much stuff in there that I don't have anymore room for plants needing wet soil unless I expand it... which is a big project.

I think the swap is going really well so far and I am liking the system. Coming on here for the swap and to look at the forums and wonderful photos has been a much needed distraction for me. On Monday I had to put down my 15 year old dog after a very hard week of trying to turn it around. This is really the first time in my life when I didn't have at least one dog and it is a hard adjustment. It doesn't help any that winter has finally kicked into full swing and it is so cold, icy, and dark outside. Thinking of spring and starting to sow some seeds will help I think. Spring can't come soon enough.

I just added more seeds! I got way more than I can use! These are seeds collected this past year!

@kchd would have loved to have that P. incanum, but I'll look it up to find a source!

Molanic, I cannot imagine what you are going through, as a pet owner. Seeds are definitely a great distraction, especially native wildflowers and plants that attract pollinators, birds and other creatures of nature.

Great, froggiesgirl, checking out what you have added. In case you didn't notice, when you go the main swap page, there's an option to "view recent events for the swap" to see the most current events for this swap.

Molanic, so sorry to hear about your loss.

molanic said:On Monday I had to put down my 15 year old dog after a very hard week of trying to turn it around. This is really the first time in my life when I didn't have at least one dog and it is a hard adjustment.

@molanic, I am so, so sorry. I know exactly how you feel. On Tuesday, Dec. 29th, we had to put down our beloved dog, who was also 15 yrs old. He went with us on so many adventures across the country. He was my best friend for 15 years, and now I am dog-less for the first time in a long time. It is so very hard. I haven't gotten past the periodic tearing up yet.

kchd, I'm so sorry for you. I had to let go of one of my cats in 2013 right before Thanksgiving. Got her from the shelter and only had her 5 days. She had full-blown feline leukemia and the vet that spayed her before I picked her up HAD to know it. But they let me adopt her anyway. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make! I picked her out from their website and fell in love with her the minute I saw her, but we gave each other 5 days of unconditional love!