Happy May Day with the cabbage moth
A cabbage moth flitted around the garden today and lingered in a patch of native plants, sipping nectar and sunning itself. First it flew...
Honey bee and the orange blossom
A honey bee spent a few minutes on a blossom on the dwarf Valencia orange tree. It was very intent on getting everything it could out of...
Surprises in the backyard
This past weekend, since it was warm I felt it was time to transplant root-bound plants to larger containers. I was surprised to find so...
Welcome back, Umber Skippers !
How exciting! Today I saw umber skippers in the garden for the first time since last autumn! The skipper in the image above is perched on...
Bumble bee sighting in the backyard
I was so excited to see this bumble bee in our backyard. While checking one of the bird baths, I heard a buzzing sound near me. I turned...
More about our visiting bumble bees
Every morning on my way to work, and then when I return home, I check the ceanothus shrub for bees. There are always at least a few honey...
Life and death
Bees face so many perils, that it really is a wonder that they manage to stay alive. There are natural enemies such as predatory wasps,...
The Bumble Bees are back!
I am so excited to see Bumble Bees back in the garden! For the past few days I always see two bombus californicus California Bumble Bee...
Happy Easter from busy bees
What a beautiful sight! Bees all over the blooming Ray Hartman ceanothus shrub. How many honey bees do you see in this picture? When I...
Birds snacking
Today while I checked the garden between periods of rain showers, I heard a crow cawing. It seemed very insistent, so I looked up and saw...
