A point you have to realize is that most people in general could care less about Lepidoptera. They may notice one that flies by or visits a flower, even stop what they are doing to watch it, but once its gone so is their interest in it. So beyond a reasonable effort to educate those who are negative about Lepidoptera, you are probably just wasting your time. During those years when I did the public seminars on Lepidoptera, at schools, libraries, natural history museums, zoos, etc I put on quite a show and tell and slide show, so I usually held public interest well during those seminars. Some came just for my seminars and paid attention because it was entertaining and interesting to them  they liked the stories I told about the bugs and the places they lived naturally, the slides and living displays I always brought along. But some attended just because they happened to be in the right place at the time and it was something to do. Some were moved enough to go visit the living sanctuary we had established at our local zoo, some even enough to come to a local lep society meeting to learn more. A rare few even joined the society at least for a while. But most went back to their busy lives that didnÂt have time for Lepidoptera, some a day, week or month later, some 5 minutes after the seminars. So my purpose of doing the seminars at all was to reach the children, maybe plant a seed that one day would grow into another person who made Lepidoptera and their conservation a regular part of their lives. The children are and will be the future of all things natural on earth. The active amateurs here on this forum right up to the most dedicated professional Lepidopterists are a very small and select few in the larger scheme of things. We are a fraternity, but a very small one. So when we fail to reach other people about Lepidoptera (or anything else), we need to realize that it is not our failure but rather just a product of the self centered lives that make up the majority of todayÂs society.

Did you dip everything in a light bleach soultion to kill off anything on them? I did the newspaper way for about 65 cuttings. In the fridge I noticed that they were getting some harry mold on them. So I put moss in with them (its naturally a deterrent against mold). I kept them in the fridge for about 2 more weeks. I checked on them and no roots. So I got impatient and put them into cups. 1/3 peat 1/3 moss(finely ground in a food processor) 1/3 vermiculite. I also dipped the ends in dipNgrow. I then took a 30 gallon plastic container and put in a 1/3 sheet of lighting egg crate in the bottom. I zip tied 1" pvc pieces to the bottom of that prior to boost it from the bottom (12x 1" pieces total). I filled that layer with cups. I put another 1/3 sheet of egg crate in to make another layer, filled it with cups. I watered it all and put the lid on. (water on the bottom to hold humidity but the bottom cups are not in the water) I noticed mold growing again on the cuttings a few days later. So I took the thing outside and put it in the shade with the lid off. Id say about a week outside now. (im in Florida, its humid out) Ive noticed on about 1/2 of the cuttings that the buds are swelling up. I should have some leafs in a few days. (My trees in the ground have about 5 leafs out already). That is my story for comparison. I would be very happy if 1/2 of my cuttings make it.

carol Here is an old and bad pic of a phal flowering for the first time on the Cassia roxburghii tree Note how small and few in numbers , pathetic leaves ?? This particular plant was always grown in a pot in the shadehouse where it always double spiked often with 3 with a minimum of a dozen flowers at least 4 inches across !! This was the first flowering on the tree skipped the first year have grown this particular plant for well over 20 years . It is flowering again has 3 this year way below standard but it is right on schedule, long ago lost the tag on the variety but it's a hybrid . Note the orientation of the leaves and the lack of a cup where they join?? Has always only kept two leaves but in a pot were pointed up forming a cup. about 3 times larger. It is exposed to too low temps,not enough water and when the tree goes deciduous in Jan way too much light lol The interesting part at least to me ,is that the roots are well over 6 feet from the plant. At first they grew in both directions but over the last year are growing down ,upwards have been aborted . Two have reached the ground and I can't wait to see what they do next lol In keeping with the subject of this post note that the leaves are growing down and no chance of collecting water with the reduced cup but is certainly not upside down ?? Might mention that a pink on the limb to the right{out of the pic) is spiking this year for the first time . Looks way below par so far . gary

I love making soil. I love it even more when someone else is doing most of the work for me. I'm itching to start some spring planting in my tiny garden, but it's technically still a bit early (our last frost date is supposed to be around the 18th or so, but these days who even knows) and I'm impatiently waiting for the contractors to show up and replace my rotted fence before I can do any planting in the back half where the pile of rock mulch over weed cloth used to be. The fence would have rotted anyway, but the bottom of it was completely eaten away where the rock mulch was piled against it. I have already put down a tiny new tree (Amelanchier x "Autumn Brilliance") which arrived bare root and needed to go in the ground ASAP, but it's not next to the fence, so it should be fine as long as the fence guys don't step on the 18 inch high forked stick which, seen with my eye of faith, is already a handsome small patio tree. The tree went in the spot where the old, scrawny, unhealthy cherry plum used to be, where I have been piling vermicompost and leaves ever since last summer. I didn't amend the planting hole at all - just dug and filled in. Enough leaf mold and vermicompost just fell into the hole to make me feel fine about the start my new tree's roots are getting. Anyway, the "someone else" who is working for me outside is a healthy passel of earthworms, which I can see out there every time I pull back last autumn's leaf mulch, which I diligently collected from the sidewalk in front of my row house and brought out back. Even if I can't set to work yet, I like knowing that they're hard at it. I've seen some of my red wigglers who rode out from my indoor worm bin, and at least three separate species of native earthworms: slow gray short guys, some really huge red nightcrawler types, and a longer, thinner, super-active wiggly worm that's new to me. I've also scattered out some seeds and grains for the sparrows and squirrels, inspired by some videos of composting chickens I've watched on Youtube: so there's been lots of pecking and scratching and digging going on in the layer of leaves, which is both fun to watch and will serve to further shred down the leaves for incorporation in the soil. When I do get to the planting along the back fence, I'll try to remember to post a soil pic as a "before and after" to the one at the start of this topic.