Skipper Weather
Although the air quality varies day by day, hour by hour, due to smoky air from the Northern California fires, it isn't terrible compared to other areas of the state. So far we are fortunate. The butterflies thrive on the very warm weather, and watching them flit through the garden makes me happy. Here is a Fiery Skipper Hylephila phyleus perched on a Seacliff buckwheat Eriogonum parvifolium flowerhead. The white blossoms are turning into a lovely shade of rust. The skipper
Buckwheat
Now that many plants are slowly going dormant, much of the native patch looks drab in shades of tan. But just look at the buckwheat. From left to right in the photo red buckwheat Eriogonum grande var. rubescens, nude buckwheat Eriogonum nudum, Ella Nelson's Yellow Eriogonum nudum ‘Ella Nelson’s Yellow', seacliff buckwheat Eriogonum parvifolium. The large hedge behind, filling more than a quarter of the photo, is Ray Hartman ceanothus. To the very right, the bright speck of ye
Common Checkered Skippers in the Morning
It's already a treat to discover a Common Checkered Skippers Pyrgus communis resting in the morning, but to see two of them perched in the same vicinity is not common in our area. First I saw the male in the photo above, very still, in a Lambs Ear patch. Then the second one landed close by, in another Lambs Ear patch. Both of the skippers are male. Males have a bluish sheen, while females are black and white without any sheen. This skipper is considered a common species, alth
Participate in the 2021-22 Symbolic Monarch Migration
You too, can participate! https://mailchi.mp/9f1d25a824c2/the-2021-22-symbolic-migration-season-opens?e=c1637d8979&fbclid=IwAR2-YRhgj5TKtQdpfptK5bDT2-0-n9b_q2Vcq5qKLAEYxmGZyLMcXWczoSw
Black Phoebe after its bath
So happy to finally capture images this lovely bird! The black phoebes Sayornis nigricans are daily visitors to the garden, and usually we spot them in the early evening as they perch on the cable wire to our house, or somewhere high on a branch, as they scan for insects to eat. Their distinctive shrill chirps can be heard throughout the day, but I've had a hard time trying to take any decent photos of these black and white birds. You can imagine my delight, when I observed t
Saving the Monarchs
Monarch butterfly on a flowerhead of our Seacliff Buckwheat Eriogonum parvifolium plant. A plan called Monarch Head Start has now underway in a last-chance plan to save the Western Monarch. Here is a great article in Bay Nature magazine that discusses the plan: https://baynature.org/2021/08/10/a-last-chance-plan-to-save-the-monarchs/?fbclid=IwAR18VdJK3M85VGfTg6niZQGr5fwb7FGUpKoPgEIDKBszCjJom4W_J3jW1PU#.YR8BTG0GDSo.facebook
Monarch caterpillars still munching on our milkweed
We are trying hard to help the monarch population by growing some native milkweed plants in large pots around our patio. And my main focus is growing their nectar plants. This monarch caterpillar photo is from a few weeks ago, as the caterpillar in its fifth instar munched nonstop. It is on a small Showy Milkweed plant Asclepias speciosa 'Davis' that was growing from the ground, next to a large pot with the mother milkweed plant. This milkweed was only a few inches high, and
Sleeping Summer Long-horned bees
Ooh, here they are! Summer Long-horned bees Melissodes robustior (Apidae) sleeping in a California Delta sunflower. Note how the one on the right has its face hidden between two petals. As luck would have it, as I was observing the two bees, one woke up and started on breakfast, while the other bee started to wake up from its slumber. Meanwhile, on another California Delta sunflower, another Summer Long-horned bee was tightly curled into a ball as it slept. You can see the wi
Summer Long-Horned Bee on California Delta Sunflower
This bee, a Summer Long-Horned male Melissodes robustior (Apidae), is one of the main reasons why I plant California Delta sunflowers every year. The other main reason? Monarch butterflies. Now is the prime time to see the Summer Long-Horned bees in our garden, and sunflowers are among their favorites for pollen and nectar. They are given their common name, Long-Horned, because the males have extremely long antennae. Males also usually have yellow markings on the lower part o
Birds outperform pesticides
Great article from the Cornell Lab! Northern Parula by Ryan Sanderson/McCauley Library https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/at-orchards-and-vineyards-birds-are-outperforming-pesticides/?utm_source=Cornell%20Lab%20eNews&utm_campaign=f0ff12dc2f-Cornell-Lab-eNews-August-2021&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_47588b5758-f0ff12dc2f-328561060&fbclid=IwAR2hGA-JKx5G8jO1YMsF5aLnY5L85BmqUim3WncFS6dM74k55LMhwsQPbVc
