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When going for a morning walk, there are many beautiful butterflies in the air and sunning on plants or flowers. Of course, the expectation is that these beautiful creatures will be in your yard, too. Arriving home to a butterfly-free yard can be really disappointing. What can you do to make your backyard a haven for butterflies?

First - Without a doubt, you have to stop using chemical pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides. These are deadly considering that butterflies begin their life as a caterpillar attached to a plant within a cocoon.

Second - once you’ve eliminated this threat, the next important step is to provide ‘host plants’ to support the metamorphosis process. There are specific plants that will attract specific butterflies.

The Black Swallowtail prefers carrots, dill, fennel and parsley where the Great Spangled Fritillary loves violets. The beautiful Monarchs are attracted to milkweed, but the Pearly Crescentspot goes for asters. To attract Pipevine Swallowtails try planting pipevine, of course. Several varieties are Calico Pipe, Dutchman’s Pipe, Rooster Flower and Virginia Snakeroot.

Red-Spotted Purple butterflies are attracted to wild cherry and willow trees. The Spicebush Swallowtail prefers sassafras and spicebush. For the beautiful Viceroy plant cherry, plum, poplar and willow trees.

Third - Once the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into an adult butterfly is completed, they will begin to seek nectar sources. Incorporate into your garden nectar plants that bloom from the start of the season to late summer and fall. Select native nectar plants such as wild columbine; lance leaf coreoposis; rose verbena; swamp and whorled milkweed; New England aster; button bush; butterfly weed; orange, purple Missouri and sweet coneflowers; blue lobelia; cardinal flower; prairie blazing star and Joe Pye weed.

Butterflies will also be attracted to slices of banana, which attract fruit flies. They consume the fruit flies for protein and minerals. Put out a slice of watermelon or overly ripe fruit, and you’ll be amazed at all the butterflies that stop by for a light lunch. There are also a variety of butterfly feeders that hold prepared nectar or fruit.

Fourth - Remember to provide butterflies a place to warm in the sun. One idea is to build a waterless pond. Arrange heat-absorbing rocks on their side in a sunny area. Add sand and salts and keep the rocks moist. Be sure to line the area with plastic to keep salts from leaking into the soil.

Many people enjoy having an attractive butterfly house in their garden. While there is no proof that butterflies use these, it does add a colorful accent.
These colorful houses also make wonderful decorative additions to a porch or sunroom.

The six most common butterfly families you can attract are:

Swallowtails (Papilionidae) - The most noticeable thing about swallowtails is a club-like projection extending from the hind wing. The most common swallowtails include: Easter Tiger, Giant, Spicebush, Eastern Black and Zebra.

Milkweed Butterfly (Daneidae) - These medium to large size butterflies are all power flyers, and all eat various types of milkweed. The most common is the Monarch. The Monarch imitators include: Viceroy, Fritillaries, Mourning Cloaks and Admirals.

Gossamer Wings (Lycaenidae) - Over 100 species of these small butterflies reside in North America. They include the Blues, Coppers and Hairstreaks. The gossamers hold their wings closed over their backs when at rest.

Sulphurs (Pieridae) - The Sulphurs are hard to miss because of their brilliant yellows.

Whites (Pieridae) - Whites are often the first butterflies to be noticed in the spring. Many people assume they are moths due to their lack of color. Male “Whites” and “Sulphurs” are prone to “puddling”, which is gathering in groups near moisture and/or salts.

True Skippers (Hesperiidae) - They are small butterflies that are not particularly attractive, and contain antennae with a telltale fishhook-like curve to the end section. Their flight resembles a stone skipping across the surface of a lake.

Use the tips provided to attract these most beautiful of nature’s creatures so they will become permanent visitors to your garden.

There is nothing more relaxing than sitting in a chair or swing on your patio, deck or porch and watching butterflies make a graceful trip around your yard.

Even in today’s hectic times, all seems right with the world as a butterfly pauses to sip some nectar or relax on a warm rock.

Janet Winter loves her wild birds and delights in providing helpful resources and unique products for feathered friends at WildBirdGoodies.com. She is a web designer, travel agent and writer on many topics including wild birds, babies and pampered dogs.

Known previously as Town Lake, Lady Bird Lake is actually the portion of the Colorado River that runs through the center of Austin, dammed on either end to create a peaceful waterway with plenty of boating opportunities. The Town Lake Corridor, surrounding the water, is full of hike and bike trails, parklands, sports fields, music and festival locations - with views of the Austin skyline competing with the serenity of river’s vistas.

The Town Lake Corridor includes both north and south banks of Lady Bird Lake, bounded by Cesar Chavez to the north, and the appropriately named Riverside to the south, with Tom Miller Dam marking the western boundary, and the Colorado River Park to the east. Within this huge, rambling area, you will find over ten miles of some of the most popular and scenic hike and bike trails located in Austin. Wildly popular, the trails are shared by runners and walkers, bikers and strollers, dogs and people alike. The 8 miles that flank the river are wide, level, shady, and have trail markers, water fountains and benches scattered along the way.

Boating on Lady Bird Lake is perennially popular both for sporting teams and for recreational boaters. No motors are permitted, allowing visitors to enjoy a relaxing day rowing, canoeing, kayaking or peddle boating. The Rowing Dock is a Town Lake Austin Parks and Recreation concession where visitors can rent boats by the hour. They also offer camps, private lessons, classes and memberships.

No visit to Town Lake would be complete without a pilgrimage to the Steve Ray Vaughan Memorial Statue, located on the south side of the River. Mounted by the City of Austin in 1994, the homage to the late great Texas blues guitarist is directly adjacent to Auditorium Shores, not coincidentally one of Austin’s most popular periodic outdoor music venues. Vaughan played Auditorium shores during his abbreviated career, and it remains a top stage, featuring local and national acts.

Town Lake Park boasts 17 ball fields for baseball, football, soccer and rugby, and volleyball, and on its western perimeter adjoins Zilker Park, making this easily the biggest recreational area in the city. Its proximity to downtown Austin means that many dining options can be found within blocks on either side of the water, including the “restaurant row” located on Barton Springs Road. Austin’s perennial favorites such as the Shady Grove, Austin Java, Chuy’s and the Green Mesquite join relative newcomers including P.Terry’s Burger Stand, and Flip Happy Crepes - located in a shining silver Airstream trailer. The popular South Congress and South First dining and shopping areas are in walking distance as well.

On July 26, 2007, the Austin City Council passed a resolution authorizing the renaming of Town Lake to Lady Bird Lake in honor of Lady Bird Johnson, the former First Lady of the United States and a long-time resident of the Austin area. Although Johnson had declined the honor of having the lake renamed for her during her life, her legacy as a proponent of nature and beauty endures after her passing.

Ki lives and works in Austin. He runs a map based Austin MLS search on his site along with detailed information about Austin real estate. His website also has updated info on mortgage interest rates.

There are countless numbers of bodies of water in the world. They range from babbling brooks, which are streams of fresh water that flow above ground, to lakes to extremely large and vast oceans, such as the Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and the largest body of water in the world, the Pacific Ocean. Each body of water is significant in its own way. These bodies of water are used as sources of drinking water or leisurely activities, such as swimming, boating, fishing, and more. This discusses the top 5 largest natural bodies of water found in North America.

Lake Superior, located on the border of Canada and North America, is the largest of the five Great Lakes of North America. This lake is the largest freshwater lake not only in the United States but also in the world by surface area. Bordered by Wisconsin and Michigan in the south and Ontario, Canada and Minnesota in the north, this lake boasts a surface area of 31,820 square miles. Its average depth is 482 feet; its deepest is 1,332 feet. Lake Superior houses several islands, the biggest being Isle Royale, which contains smaller islands within smaller lakes. Due to its vast size, it mimics the behavior and climate of the sea, regulating temperatures during the summer and winter.

The second largest body of water is Lake Huron, one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Its surface area measures at 23,010 square miles, which makes it the third largest fresh water lake on earth. The average depth is 195 feet; its deepest is 750 feet. Originally named La Mer Douce, meaning the fresh-water sea, Lake Huron is named after the Huron people who lived in the area when the French explorers discovered the land.

The third largest body of water is Lake Michigan, which is also one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the only one of the five lakes that is entirely within the United States border, surrounded by the states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana. With a surface area of 22,400 square miles, its average depth is 279 feet and its deepest is 923 feet. The state of Michigan and the lake itself is believed to have come from mishigami, meaning great water in Ojibwa Indian.

The fourth largest body of water is Great Bear Lake, Canada’s largest lake. With an average depth of 235 feet and a maximum depth of 1,463 feet, its surface area measures at 12,028 square miles. From November to July, Great Bear Lake is completely covered in ice.

Finally, the fifth largest body of water is Great Slave Lake, also located in Canada. It covers 11,000 square miles with the maximum depth at 615 feet and an average depth of 105 feet. Like Great Bear Lake, it is frozen for about eight months out of the year. Prior to the construction of highways around the lakes in 1967, goods were transported by semi-trailer trucks that traveled on the thick ice.

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As global warming continues to be a major concern for the future of our planet, people are starting to turn to green living practices to help save it for future generations. Green living involves every aspect of our daily lives - from driving to work to mowing our lawns.

Making the switch to green living all at once might scare most people away from implementing those earth-friendly changes. However, there are many ways to ease into this practice and help save the environment.

Air pollution is a major problem in many cities. Massive amounts of pollutant have been generated by factories, but that is not the only avenue contributing to global warming. Automobiles give off a fair amount of pollutants into the air as well.

When you have a lot of cars driving around on the city streets, you are multiplying the amount of pollutants being emitted by each car that is destroying our ozone. If you want to save the environment, you can start by either carpooling, walking more instead of driving or even purchasing hybrid models that do not contribute much damage.

This small change can bring much relief for the environment for future generations. There are many ways to adapt green living into your life by taking a look at your home. What kind of light bulbs are you using?

The standard bulbs we use contribute to higher electricity bills and higher levels of carbon dioxide. If you switch at least some of your standard bulbs with the compact fluorescent bulbs, you can save the environment and at the same time save on your electric bill.

Make sure to seal any gaps around windows and doors to keep any cold drafts from blowing into the house, which can cost you more money. Make sure the house is well insulated to help cut down on those costs in the wintertime. The less the furnace or heater has to run, the better off everyone will be.

Take a look at your appliances. Are they devouring too much energy? If they are older models, the answer is probably yes. While some of the changes are in the appliances that you use, other ways to go green involve your own habits and actions.

Do you open the oven door several times to check and see if something is done? The harder an appliance has to work, the harder it is on the environment. If you keep opening the oven door, the temperature will drop almost 25 degrees. It will then have to work harder to get back to the original temperature.

Recycling is an excellent way to save our environment. Try buying products that can be recycled and avoid the non-recyclable items such as Styrofoam cups. The less trash that has to be burned - or buried into our soil - the better off our planet will be.

These small changes may seem like they are not able to help much for the environment, but in reality they can help tremendously. Every little bit we do is a much-needed step toward reserving natural resources for our future generations. Get involved with the environment and start to make a difference in the practice of green living for our earth.

Paul Hata is active in various social and community programs aimed at providing equal access to education,health and jobs to all.Paul has over 10 years experience in managing a multi-million dollar advertising company.Paul can be reached at - EarlyPlanet.com

Would it not be great if everyone in this world pitched in and lived a totally green life? The earth would be so much better off. While it is not likely that this scenario would actually occur, but the more people who pitch in with the little things, the more we can make a change to the future of our planet.Here are some small, but meaningful ways to do your part to help the environment:

Lights On/Off - Growing up, you probably heard your parents nag you about turning lights off when you leave a room. By turning the lights off in a room where we do not need them, you are cutting down on the energy costs for supplying the room with light. You do not have to be in the dark. Just turn on lights where you need them and turn off the ones you do not need.

Save Water - How often do we brush our teeth at the sink with the water running while we are scrubbing away at our teeth? It is a habit most of us have gotten into over the years and never really got out of. By keeping the water running, you are wasting precious water, so turn the faucet off while you brush and only turn it on when you need it.

Take the clothes outside - Every time you use your dryer, you are using more energy than you need to. If it is a warm sunny day, hang the clothes up on a clothesline. Let the wind and the warm air dry them for you. Leave the dryer for the days you really need them. Hanging clothes to dry worked for the pioneers and it can for you too!

Get rid of the junk mail once and for all - Junk mail comes in droves every year to unsuspecting households. The junk we receive ultimately gets thrown out, which is like throwing away our precious trees. There are a few places to sign up to stop the junk mail from donning your doorstep. Save those trees and the environment by just saying no to mail you did not ask to receive.

Reading and browse online - Instead of getting 14 catalogs a month in the mail, save space and the environment by browsing through the pages online. No more stacks and clutter of catalogs getting in the way of your home and no more wasting trees to make them. View what you need online if your catalogs are available through the Internet.

Go homemade with your cleaning - There are too many chemical-based aerosol cleaning products seen in homes today. These can be harmful to us as well as the environment. In most cases, some of the cleaning can be done with regular ingredients you can find already in your home, such as lemon juice for cleaning mold and mildew.

It is the little things in our daily lives that can make a huge difference for future generations to come. Do whatever you can to help out. If we each participate by implementing a greener life, even by taking small steps, we can provide a better earth for our children.

Paul Hata is active in various social and community programs aimed at providing equal access to education,health and jobs to all.Paul has over 10 years experience in managing a multi-million dollar advertising company.Paul can be reached at - EarlyPlanet.com

Storms do not just come without a warning. Weather stations monitor the atmosphere day in and day out If a storm is brewing, they will issue these warnings .If you live in a storm-prone area, you should be used by now on what to do, where to go and what to have to be prepared for bad weather. However, if you’re not used to getting pummeled by high winds and hard rain, you probably don’t have an idea how best to face a storm situation.

Storm Watch - A storm watch is issued when there is a possible storm in your area. You probably will be experiencing a dark, cloudy sky, an unusually windy day and some rain. The storm may or may not come, but this is the time to keep tuned to your local radio for news and updates.

Storm Warning - A storm warning is issued when a storm is headed toward your area. Try to stay indoors as much as possible. Or if residents are advised to evacuate to a safer place, go as early as you can. Do not wait until the last minute to leave your house. By that time, the streets could be flooded and traffic is bad. You do not want to be caught in your car in bad weather.

Blizzard Warning - A blizzard warning is usually issued during heavy snow, strong winds and wind chill. When a warning is issued, avoid traveling as much as possible and stay indoors. There is no use exposing yourself outdoors where you could get trapped in traffic or in locations where you will be difficult to reach or worse, find.

For all our technology, no one can stop a storm from coming. The only way to survive it is to be prepared to face the emergency. Things do not always go bad during storms, but weather is unpredictable and anything can happen. To help you prepare for a storm emergency, here are a few tips:

1.Dress Up - Wear enough clothes to keep yourself warm. Heat may not be available in your house so get extra coats and blankets to maintain your body temperature sufficiently. Have your mittens, gloves, hats, socks and boots ready as well.

2.Have the Food Ready - Emergency provisions are a must during storm emergencies. Make sure you stock on no-cook food, canned food, some candy and other non-perishable items. And don’t forget can openers, scissors or utensils. If the storm gets too bad and the streets are flooded, you will have a difficulty going out to the grocery shops. Besides, stores might be closed.

3.Have the Drinks Ready - Keep bottles of water handy. Clean water may be hard to come by during really bad conditions and the worst thing you can do is suffer from dehydration because you were not prepared. Keep a supply of at least one gallon for every person per day that will last for 3 to 4 days.

4.Fill the Tub - You’ll need more water for washing and flushing the toilets. When the power is out, your water pump won’t operate, so best fill your bath tub, water containers and pails with water. If you have small children in the house, take precautions by covering deep containers and keeping children away from the bathroom unless necessary.

5.Prepare the Emergency Kit - Have a medical or first kit ready and make sure it’s freshly-stocked. It should contain disinfectants, gauzes, cotton balls, Q-tips, medicated plasters and necessary medicines. It’s also a good idea to have another kit in your car.

6.Prepare the Medicine - If anyone in your family is under special medication, make sure you have enough supplies to last until after the storm is over and drug stores are open.

7.Lights Off - Expect power outages during storm emergencies. You won’t have any electricity, so stock on candles, flashlights and emergency lights. Have extra fresh batteries and matches in case you run out.

8.Power Off - If you cannot turn on the TV, have a battery-powered radio tuned in to a station that covers your area. Media will monitor the storm and will keep you updated.

9.Ready Power Supply - You might need hot water during the period when power is not yet available, so keep a small tank of gas around just in case. Your outdoor gas grill will do nicely.

10.Get an Alternate Shelter - If you think your house will suffer considerably, it’s a good idea to consider an alternate shelter. It could be an evacuation center or another house or building that is safer. Make sure you have enough gas in your tank in case you need to get out of the house and move someplace. Keep to a higher ground where you have better chances of being safe and dry.

Paul Hata is active in various social and community programs aimed at providing equal access to education,health and jobs to all.Paul has over 10 years experience in managing a multi-million dollar advertising company.Paul can be reached at - SearchAnythingWorldwide.com