Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 32, 1 by TexasPuddyPrint

TexasPuddyPrint wrote:
Went out to the ranch for a quick visit with the folks before I head out. They are very upset because some stray dogs got into one of the pastures and killed 9 boer goats and one goose. The neighbor saw it and described the dogs.

There is no leash law out in the country and whenever someone's dogs kills livestock nobody will claim ownership of the dogs. My folks called the sheriff (who is 40 miles away) and he said if they killed the dogs the owner could sue them for cruelty to animals! Needless to say, my folks weren't happy to hear that. Dad said he'd like to see the owner come forward because he wants retribution and says anything trespassing is fair game. Now he's been riding around the back pastures several times a day looking for those stray dogs.

My sister-in-law and I drove around in the golf cart and all we saw was a snake. Couldn't tell what it was from the distance but I sure scared the frass out of her when she got down to open the gate. I rattled a coffee can of chicken scratch I carry in the golf cart to toss to the quails. I've never seen someone climb a fence so fast! ROLF!!!!

Okay...enough with the story telling. I did see a pipevine swallowtail laying eggs. I don't know how they find the aristolochia erecta out in the back fields. That plant is a mere 3 or 4 inches high and blends in so well with the grass.

Here's a photo of the plant bloom in the midst of all that dried out grass.

~ Cat