JG, "Does your pink flower have patches of white in it? What else do you have there?" It doesn't seem to have patches of white, just the side effect of poor growing conditions. As for what is what, last year I grew a huge mixture. I think I had Zahara Coral, Big Red, Giant Flowered Mixed, Envy, Candy Cane, Thumbelina, and some kind of white zinnia seed, plus my own from previous years. As you've mentioned, I can definitely see some traits from before. Here's a picture of my little raised bed, with zinnias growing between peppers. They're all pink except possibly the one in the foreground, which appears to be yellow with an orange center. I'm really hoping that it is yellow, because the only yellow flowers that I had last year were from my very first zinnia plant, which was yellow, maybe 4 or 5 years ago. That's not to say that the flower couldn't have gotten the yellow from elsewhere, but I'd like to imagine it came from my plant. I'm eagerly keeping an eye on that one. Also, JG, the latest zinnias that you posted are absolutely gorgeous. I'm guessing it's your camera, but they all have a very pleasant soft glow to them. ZM, nice explanation about the seeds. That's a good solid technique. I have experimented with germinating embryos as well and can confirm that they do behave like you've described, coming up much sooner because of the seed husk. I'm more of an indoor growing person myself, and I'm going to grow zinnias this winter. I may experiment with some odd techniques to see what could happen, like intentionally bending the stems and shaping the plant, cutting liberally and watching what comes of it. I will keep everyone updated for sure. Here's a "Common Buckeye" butterfly sipping some nectar on this hot day:

Maybe pseudomonas, maybe verticillium...this one seems to be particularly prone to dieback but Japanese maples generally are having quite a bit of trouble, it seems. Inadequate sanitation in production nurseries has been blamed for frequent problems with verticillium specifically, which is spread by infested soil.

Thank you all for the lovely comments :). OA: The wedding was held at a friend of ours 70 acre gated estate. It's a complete castle style complex of over a football field in size with his private residence tucked into the center. His young daughter Lacey had always dreamed of living in a castle and he promised to build her one but she got sick, suffered a toxic reaction to the medication and passed away in Jan 1987. In honoring what she had always wanted, he started working on it in 1988 and laid each rock hand by hand until it was completed. Now , it is a foundation commited to preserving & allowing the return of the indigenous spieces. He serves now as a wildlife management area, improving habitat, and aid in research studys, environmental issues, and wildlife habitat conservation. A truly peaceful and lovely place completely untouched by building highways,subdivisions ect.

Beth4, Hey! I was winding-up my NDSU-time in '84-'86! >>> I don't believe those blizzard/traffic deaths were in Downtown Fargo... They were out near the airport on 19th Ave. N. Its' an East-West road that fills-in FAST because of the 8' high fences that ring the airport. (most of that fence is ~75' from the road...) Therefore, snow starts building-up in a hurry across that road if winds are from the North! They were driving thru drifts when they shouldn't have even been on that road. TXJ, We're NOT 30 below. THAT was a few days ago...;-) * We DID set a record low for the date tho...MINUS 33 ACTUAL temp, not this Wind-Chill silliness... * G. Forks had minus 36 I think. * Thur. nite tho, we'll get back down to minus 25 they say!! * Breathing air THAT cold almost "hurts" in a way! But still...people here go shoppin'....snow "creaks" when you walk on it... * We've been "kinda" laughing at all the Today Show "drama" about the cold places! Reporters commenting on "special alerts" about temps in the "teens"...wow.... * I DON'T laugh at the ag-growers though, that's serious business. I'm just talkin' about the "crisis-mode" mentality weather news. We just roll our eyes and head out the door...20 degrees colder than everyone else... * Jeeezzzz...I've worn SHORTS when it's plus 20 out!!!! Faron