I use this time to daydream about new garden designs, make lists of the plants I need to grow for next year, and sort my photos for albums, scrapbooks and sharing online :)

~ Judy
www.ButterflyNature.com

This is a good time to focus on your BF garden. I'm always researching what BFs are in my area and what plants they need.

This summer I saw new BFs after planting some new host plants. Two of the plants that I added were False Nettle for Red Admirals and Golden Crownbeard for Bordered Patches. I have always had RAs around but never had any cats. This year I was successful at raising some RAs. I had never seen BPs before, but knew that they were in the area, and I had some BFs appear late in the season. Next year, hopefully, I will have some eggs and cats.

I am already looking online for plants and seeds for next season. I have seeds of Aristolochia started as they take a long time to germinate. I will be adding plants for the BFs and moths that visited my garden this year, and for the ones I want to entice into my garden next year.

Also, I have a lot of cleanup to do and mulching. There are seeds to be collected. Not so fun, but necessary. I have a source for "pony poo" so I'm getting the composting bin set up again, as I haven't done so since moving. There are tons of leaves to rake and put in the compost as well as pots of soil from potted plants that have gone to horticulture heaven. The raising containers, pics, and miscellaneous from this summer all need to be properly cleaned and stored. And my house, which I've ignored this summer, needs a proper cleaning, especially the windows.

Guess I'd better get off this computer and get started, but I'd much rather think about BFs!!

Sandy : )

Within a month or two, we'll be getting our seed catalogs to pore over and select all the plants we do or don't need.
-Jmcat

Here's what I've been doing:

I've stored my Monarch cat cage for the winter. I've stored all of the cups that I had my milkweed in that I gave to people on here who wanted them, and I've stored other empty potting containers until next year.

I brought all of my plants inside that I didn't want to get killed outside (we've had at least a week's worth of frost already). I had to bring a stand in from the back porch that I had milkweed plants sitting on and moved it in the house so I can sit some of the plants on that I brought inside. I've taken cuttings of my butterfly bushes and am trying to start new plants.

I'm using our lawn mower to mulch up leaves that have fallen from the trees (most of ours are down now) and use some for mixing in the soil and put others on top around the plants to keep the weeds down. I'll be working on that the next week or so yet. I'm putting in another garden path but will probably have to finish that up in the spring because it's been getting pretty cold here and I still have other things outside to do.

I've collected seeds from the plants I had in the garden this year for my own use and to share with friends. I'm making up packets of milkweed to give away to anyone I run into in my area who is willing to plant some. I just gave some to the guy down at the post office.

I've made an Excel file of butterflies found in my state and list the host and nectar plants. I had started a Word file earlier this year of plants that I have in my garden and add to it as I acquire more. I'm always thinking about what kinds of butterflies I'd like to attract to my yard and hopefully raise the cats (also thinking about the butterflies that have already been here but I haven't gotten to raise the cats yet), so I'm always thinking of what plant additions I'd like to make to my garden. Since I'm always and forever coming up with plants that I want, I also spend a lot of time trying to figure out good locations for them. I removed some plants this year and already have replacements waiting in the wings (in my head anyway). Right now I'm still trying to figure out where I'm going to go with all of these plants that I brought in the house almost two weeks ago. I'll have to get creative and find ways of fitting them in places that don't exist. lol

Even though I can't plant any plants outside until next April 15-30, I'll be going through the online and paper seed/nursery catalogs to see if there's some other kinds of plants that I'd like to have here. 2006 was my first butterfly garden year and I've learned a lot since then thanks to the people on this forum and I've been able to attract new kinds of butterflies this year that I didn't see last year. I always look forward to learning more and adding onto my plant menagerie. :) Come February (knowing me, January because I have trouble waiting) I'll be starting seeds indoors and wondering how I'll manage to fit those in the house too. I always somehow find room for the plants that I want. Hee hee. I'm looking forward so much to next spring and summer! I can't think of anything more fun than planting for the butterflies and watching them fly all over our yard.

Cathy

Thanks for all of your ideas. I have been daydreaming about my garden for next year and wondering when to start seeds. Being in Fl, I will probably start right after Christmas.
Jennifer

I would wait until later than after Christmas to start seeds unless you have somewhere to store the plants. I started plants in pots last year and would place them outside when warm, but the temperatures were so up and down and I was hauling the pots in and out of the garage as I have nowhere else to store them. You can't plant in the garden until March, so I would wait longer.

We get mild winters in south Texas...so long as we don't get a freeze everything stays green. The fall season is our best butterfly time - we get to see some great strays and record breakers from October - January.

I like looking around to see what plants continue to bloom and attract butterflies. Am always on the lookout for a good nectar source during this time of the year.

Butterflies continue to lay eggs and caterpillars continue to munch away. Right now I'm raising caterpillars from Giant Swallowtails, Zebra Heliconians, Longtailed Skippers, Forbes Silkmoths and an unknown one I found feeding on Rock Mallow.

Saw a couple of Brazilian Skippers laying gobs of eggs on the cannas a few days ago as well. I have two large clumps of cannas at the end of my front driveway they love to use and occasionally manage to eat the leaves to shreds - to the digust of one of my next door neighbors. He's a boor :o)

Guess if your weather is not as amicable as ours - you can pour over catalogs and start your wish lists, seed gathering and working on seed/plant trades :o)

~ Cat