It was a good year for sweet gum balls. We even tried treating our tree with Indole 3-butyric acid in hopes that it would reduce their number but it didn't. I don't think they're toxic to water lilies or fish. Have you thought about adding mosquito fish to your water garden?

That's really something that you've planted SO many trees, Pam! I know you'll enjoy watching them all grow. I think by far the best book for a butterfly beginner would be The Life Cycles of Butterflies by Judy Burris and Wayne Richards. They're brother and sister, and Judy posts on the Butterfly Forum occasionally. The book explains the basics of butterflies, gives examples of their host plants and some of their favorite nectar plants in the authors' area (Kentucky) and has some of the best pictures of eggs and caterpillars out there. Her book includes just about all the butterflies you'll find in the coastal Virginia area. I'm sure its available at Amazon.com, and you might find it at a local book store. I've been weeding and pruning my garden today - hopefully, I'll get it finished soon! Sherry

Thank you for the reply, Toronodo. Dripline is probably about 7 ft. out from the trunk on all directions. The roots are just too high to put the tractor over. The poor thing has been through a lot -- two ice storms in the last year, plus I just don't really like the dang thing, BUT it's a pretty tree (still). It's straight up about 30 ft. I have access to lots and lots of leaves, wood mulch, etc. Seemed like a good idea at the time, to just cover up the roots with sprounts and save a lot of trimming time. I'm willing to let it "readjust" to the new situation- - I think we'll all be better for the experience. Hopefully. Thanks - Sunny

Sunny, I can only mention that these grow all over the place down here and the natural litter (leaves, twigs, gumballs) doesn't seem to slow the weeds down one bit!