Very pretty Sherry. I am loving the weather as well. 80s and sunny. Lots of butterflies still around and my plants are starting to get new growth, they think it is Spring :) Makes me feel sorry for my family in Ohio. Not!

Thanks, rvird01!
I just watched the weather, and it IS going to get cold here after all, though nothing to compare to what's going on north of here. It's supposed to go down to around 40 degrees tonight, and the low 40's will be the low temp for days to come. I've had the heater off and the air conditioner on to knock off the mugginess in the air - looks like that'll change.

So, I guess the butterflies will go back to wherever they were when we had the last cold weather. Red admirals must be pretty hardy!

Sherry

Very pretty Sherry. I am loving the weather as well. 80s and sunny. Lots of butterflies still around and my plants are starting to get new growth, they think it is Spring :) Makes me feel sorry for my family in Ohio. Not!

I was also seeing a few RA's coming to my old fruits before the cold front really ramped up. The weather here is begining to get surprisingly cold, with some lows under 25ð forecast. Brrr! This winter very well might be one for the record books! Not sounding good for the Monarchs if freezes get down far enough into Mexico, BTW!

This post was edited by linda_tx8 on Sat, Dec 7, 13 at 1:19

Nice pictures! I was wondering if that gravel is held together with some kind of mortar? Is it slightly V shaped to drain off water like a shallow channel? What a pretty way to do that if that's what it is. The butterflies liking it is pretty neat too. That would be a beautiful alternative to a PVC drainage pipe under the dirt. The colors are so warm, I wonder if it gives off warmth for the butterflies.

We have had a few of the coldest nights in a LONG time, it could be record lows, low 30's-frost danger! Am freezing in the house, because I haven't acclimated yet to winter. brrrrr

linda, so true, bad for the Monarchs, that's all they need, another freeze.

Monarch-Ma-so.cal, the gravel has no mortar on it, just rocks. There are several areas where there are little ponds where the water sits, like it's doing now - I guess cars and trucks make these holes. I've seen birds bathing in these little ponds, and some butterflies like to 'nectar' on the fine gravel areas, especially when they're wet. I assume that salts of some type get excreted from the rocks and fine gravel?

Linda, I hate to hear about anything that will adversely affect monarchs, especially since I didn't see a single monarch this year. And it does look like we'll be having a cold winter!

Sherry

sherry, after I posted I saw that you called it a gravel road. Do you have gravel roads in your area? What keeps them in place that allows cars and trucks to drive on them? It's a beautiful look. The rocks look so polished and colorful. Is it a special gravel? If I tried that I wonder if the rocks/gravel would be everywhere but where they were supposed to be. I would like to copy that look for walkways and borders in my new landscaping plan.

It's so good to come here and actually see some shots of butterflies- I ache for Spring... and it's only the start of winter! Thanks for the pics Sherry.

There are gravel roads and driveways here and there Monarch-Ma. You do lose your driveway over time if it's fine gravel, because the little pieces get carried away in the tread of tires. Big gravel (or rocks) does better, but it needs to be reworked/reshaped periodically. Used to be, roads were all dirt and/or gravel - I like the old-timey, natural look of it, and the butterflies apparently get something out of it.

It was cold last night, nearly froze. We've got a cold winter ahead!

I'm looking forward to spring, too, surya55. Flowers everywhere, great temps, butterflies coming out - you can't ask for more!

Sherry