And now they are chrysalides
So far, we have discovered two monarch chrysalides around the patio. This one attached itself to the bottom lip of a large flower pot. Just four feet away, this monarch chrysalis attached itself under a shallow ledge a few inches above the house foundation. There have been many caterpillars that I've seen in their fifth instar, just shortly before they were ready to find a good place to pupate. It's possible that some of them already emerged since we have had very warm days,
Monarchs need more than milkweed
Remember, monarchs need more than milkweed! Milkweed is the only host plant for monarch butterflies. Adult monarchs must consume nectar from a variety of flowering plants for carbohydrates to fuel their mating and migratory flight. Here is a link to the Xerces Society guide to monarch nectar plants, listed by different regions in the United States: https://xerces.org/monarchs/monarch-nectar-plant-guides?fbclid=IwAR2KT8ZBoAUomPDjB9s3BSUG4qaaI9Pq97huhMcsQ4QJcXpt7-iwwBX9NVI
How to prevent birds from flying into your windows
An excellent illustration on how to help our feathered friends. Here is more information from the Humane Society of the United States https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/make-your-windows-bird-safe?fbclid=IwAR04gK-VBc0zsF2fZ1s-PLwGkANUxvRqzMg_Qtw4PNniUETvBF_QPJsE8bE
Create a pollinator habitat in your own yard
Getty Images Here is a great article about sustainable landscaping https://theweek.com/feature/briefing/1015382/sustainable-landscapinghelping-the-butterflies-and-bees?fbclid=IwAR03nTbM2HnQP_WzTcjlcnQ29J5LHao85T-rBruTN3qPQ70vg6YZZ1Tc77c
Summer Long-Horned bee hotel
I have been checking every evening at sunset the Pozo Blue sage to see how many Summer Long-Horned male bees are sleeping on the dried flowerhead. The bees seem to prefer the same tallest flowerhead for their bed, and they sleep facing the east side of the flowerhead, and not on the west side. Perhaps this is that they can absorb the first rays of the morning sun to wake up? What is very interesting is that every evening the number of males sleeping on the same flowerhead inc
Moths are bird food
There are far more moths than butterflies, and there is a lot of moth activity at night in your garden. Here is a great article from the National Wildlife Federation https://www.nwf.org/en/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2018/April-May/Animals/Moths?fbclid=IwAR0YGeMr--lgmBbTrA5_IDZLdeYr2rgXHiqe_Q6uQjJPVzHXKxfpThLV7uc
Butterfly weather and California Buckwheat
If you stand very still in your garden, even if for five minutes, you can observe so much garden activity that you could otherwise miss. The other day it was perfect butterfly weather, very warm and a little breezy. I couldn't believe how many different kinds of butterflies were out and about in our little pollinator patch. Above is an Acmon Blue sipping nectar from Red Buckwheat blossoms. You can see its proboscis out, curved as the butterfly sips. Here is a Mylitta Crescent
Summer Long Horned Bees sleeping
Late morning yesterday I discovered these two male Summer Long Horned bees sleeping on a dried flowerhead of one of the Pozo Blue sage shrubs. It was another cloudy day, with a short period of rainfall earlier in the morning. We have experienced cooler temperatures, in the 60's, for about a week. However the sunshine does occasionally break through the clouds, and that is when the bees and butterflies are active. Seeing the bees asleep on the dried flowerhead proves once agai
