Milkweed is Caterpillar Food

We should all plant milkweed so the butterflies, especially the endangered Monarchs, have food for their larvae. I bought a pine leaf milkweed at Desert Survivors and was enchanted to see that it came with a Queen butterfly caterpillar. I watched it chomp on the leaves for five days, but now I can't find it. Maybe a bird got it, or maybe it has made a cocoon that I haven't located. 

UofA Bungalow and Guest House

Adorable 1937 Feldman bungalow, beautifully upgraded while maintaining the vintage character you seek. 

The main house has two bedrooms and one bath in 786 square feet. It shines with fresh paint, brand new Shaker cabinets, stainless appliances and granite counters. New oak-look tile floor in kitchen. Laundry room off the kitchen offers additional storage.

High ceilings, decorative fireplace and lots of natural light. 
Oak floors in living room and bedrooms. 

Of course, the footed tub was saved, complemented by a new vanity and sweet hexagonal floor tile. 

The 473 square foot guest house is one of the nicest you've ever seen.

Oak cabinets in sunny guest house kitchen.

Decorative fireplace in the guest house living room. Three-quarter bath and a bedroom large enough for a king-sized bed. Tenant pays $625 on month-to-month lease and can move with 30 days notice. 

 Mature desert landscaping in the private fenced yard. 

Two off-street parking spaces. The coolest location, right between UofA and 4th Avenue. The interactive floor plan is here. This property sold for $234,725 on May 31, 2017

Bullock's Oriole and Ocotillo

I put out some oranges in a suet cage to attract orioles, but the orioles are more interested in the ocotillo (oh-koh-TEE-yoh) blossoms and my home made oatmeal cookies. 

The ocotillo haven't had leaves for months, of course, but with the little bit of rain we had, plus maybe some encouragement from my garden hose, they started leafing out.

For those of you who are not lucky enough to have seen an ocotillo, here's the magnificent specimen behind my house.