I see regular brugs and the common peaches and cream variegated ones in the H.D and ace around here. Sometimes they have NOIDs that are large and beautiful. I can't resist going over and looking at the nice ones even though I know they are noids or something I already have. This reminded me of the other day, we were at H.D. and there was a 10ft pink noid full of flowers, nice canopy and all. So I walk over to admire it and this lady comes up and starts giving me the 411 on brugs. Telling me they were the devil's plant and such. She goes on and on... giving me lots of misinformation and is the 'know-it-all-type' so I just let her go on. (My momma raised me to be polite) I look behind her and there is dh smirking and laughing like a HYena in the corner. LOL. I was trying so hard not to laugh after that! Had to strangle him when I got back to the car :D

I've found more of the cats than the moths. Both are awesome but the nod goes to the moth because of the blue on the wings, IMO. I've always found the cats in the fall. I let them go since I don't feel confident that I could overwinter them properly. YMMV

I think they do but its not much. I am a member of the gardens, which is $25/year (not much compared to how much it costs to be a member at Selby or Fairchild, and you get the same benefits...newsletters, 10% off any plants you buy at their gift shop, early member's entry to sales, free door prize at sales (usually an herb or butterfly plant) and the list of gardens nationwide that will honor your membership and let you in free or reduced price. Its not a large place, I would even venture to say in all honesty that Kanapaha here in Gainesville is larger and much better planted, but then its been here longer and is not on campus like this garden is. Everything there runs on volunteers. Its very nice. The sales are in no way as huge as some of the other sales but they are very quality. The Tropical plant fair and the Spring sale usually have Gardinos, the Croton Society, 1-2 bromeliad sellers, a dedicated Palm seller, the guy from Going Bananas was there the last 2 sales I went to, an orchid vendor or 2, Bob Smoley was there once, there has been a guy there with a fabulous collection of gingers and heliconias (he had stuff like the White etlingeras and White Alpinia purpuratas and all like that, but his prices were pretty steep) and several other vendors who had more of a varied "not all one thing" selection fo plants. I have bought palms there, I got my variegated Erythina indica there, I have gotten some nice bulbophyllum and cirrhopetalum orchids, philodendrons, hoyas, anthuriums, cool species of Staghorns, bananas (got my 1000 fingers there), broms, variegated monstera, just a ton of cool stuff.

Susan, We have buttonbush in our swamp, although the swamp itself isn't swampy much any more after repeated years of drought. I need to wander down to the swamp as soon as it is cold enough that the snakes won't be out, and see if the buttonbush survived this summer. Still, I haven't seen a Crecopia yet. As near as I can remember, I've seen Luna moths in 3 or 4 different years. One year (or possibly 2 different years) I only saw 2, and then in another year 4 and then in a different year there were 6---4 at the house and 2 at the fire station. Usually, they come and sit in the grass under the Security light after they've fulfilled their destiny and are dying, and that is when I see them. (Kinda sad, but true.) Today was a swallowtail and buckeye day. As the weather cools and some of the fall bloomers fade, they are having to work a little harder to find nectar. I still have flowers blooming in the garden, but out in the fields, there's less and less every week as the liatris and goldenrod, which bloomed early, seem to be finishing up early too. Dawn