Carol, I think it's wonderful that you're starting a butterfly garden. I think that they need our help. Yes, it does seem that the Latin names are used pretty much on the butterfly forum and I was intimidated too when I first joined, but after awhile I started learning those Latin names too. So now I'm one of those Latin nerds. lol I don't know nearly as many as some people do but do know some. They don't use them to impress people but to different between the plants so there's no misunderstanding what plants should be planted to attract a certain kind of butterfly. For example, there are different kinds of blue vervain and if they'd just say that someone should get blue vervain for a host plant for the Common Buckeye, the person they're telling that to might get Verbena bonariensis (a great nectar plant but not a host plant) instead of getting Verbena hostata, which is a host plant for that kind of butterfly caterpillar. Another example is rue. Rue isn't just rue! lol If you want to have the one that's a host plant for Giant Swallowtails and Black Swallowtails, get the one that is Ruta graveolens. There are many different kinds of rue; e.g. meadow rue, and that's not a host plant. Okay, class dismissed. Haha. At first I didn't understand why they used Latin names on the butterfly forum, but after reading awhile, then I knew why. I bet you'll learn some too after awhile. After you read a lot of posts, they started sinking in my head; I wasn't even consciously trying to learn them. Anyhoo...I hope those names don't chase you away from the forum. I've learned so much there and also here. Yep, Wafer Ash (Ptelea trifoliata), also known as Hoptree, is a tree that is a host plant for the Giant Swallowtail. I can't say that I could identify a wafer ash offhand, but from reading about it, it sounds like a desireable tree since it attracts the butterflies, and I also remember reading that it has fragrant flowers and only gets about 20 feet tall. I just looked up what zones it can grow in and it said 4-9, so you're good. I had bought my seeds from Prairie Moon Nursery. I'm pretty sure those other trees I mentioned would also grow where you are at. You probably won't find pipevine at any of the stores. I got mine from Sunlight Gardens. Just as with the other plants, there are different kinds of pipevine. Mine is Aristolochia macrophylla. A good thing to do if you're interested in attracting butterflies to your place is to go to www.butterfliesandmoths.org and look up your state and county to see which ones were reported being there. The website has their host plants listed and also nectar plants that they like to go to. Like you, we've been removing scrub trees from here and replacing them with nice trees (the ones I mentioned). I could go on and one about what to plant for which kind of butterfly, but I'm probably already sounding like a commercial for the butterflies. Being that this is the wintersowing forum, I'd better shut up now. Ha. Sorry, but I get carried away about them just like I do about plants, and that's why I have close to 100 containers sitting outside that I've wintersown (is it sowed or sown?) Best of luck with things and if you ever have any questions about butterflies, just email me. yomamab2002 at yahoo dot com Cathy

Susan, yes DH (age 58) has the same waist plus maybe an inch. These two photos were taken last July and November. July we spent four days in San Diego where he was in the Navy. The Nov pic was taken on Thanksgiving. I have to add that he plays tennis twice a day, six days a week and coaches high school tennis three mornings a week. On the day he doesn't play tennis, he and a couple friends ride their bicycles 25 miles. Jodi-

Orie, that is Euphorbia Polychroma or commonly called Cushion Spurge. It is a cousin of Pointsettia. The bright chrome yellow bracts that last about 3 weeks look great with tulips and creeping phlox. I will cut this back by half when the the color fades. It will then make a nice soft blue/green mound for the rest of the growing season. As always, I am enjoying everyone's photos. I love seeing what interests everyone through their camera's eye. Thank you all for sharing.

Roarah, I haven't read all of the comments that show distaste for the wedding, but yours caught my eye. I have been fascinated by the Travellers and Roma cultures and want to have a better understanding of their lives vs. what is presented on TV. I have had this book on my shelf for a long time and have only read some of it: I need to finish it. When I've watched the TLC shows, I try to see (even though we all know that reality TV is pure fantasy) what they like about their culture through their eyes. In other words, what works? Why do they have certain traditions? When I first saw the enormous dresses and such, they floored me-- but I figured that everyone has different opinions of beauty. I am certain they would find my wedding dress with nary a sequin to be dull and uninspired. As for the girls who are married at the age of 14-- it is hard to think about that, for sure. I think it is wrong and hope there are activists who are helping them see this and end it. I wonder if it is a case of a culture that has remained very isolated and therefore a throwback to a time where people just didn't live as long . . .so things like marriage and family were done at a much younger age. We see rape and they see tradition. I think it is hard, in general, too, when we are introduced to only certain aspects of a culture or religion that greatly conflict with our own values and traditions. It is difficult to find a balance of respecting others while finding some of what they do to be immoral. What I do is to remind myself of how much I don't know . . .to understand that I am only seeing one tiny piece (and it's from an ethnocentric perspective anyway). But it can still be a challenge!