Butterfly weather

Here in the Bay Area we have, so far, been spared extreme weather conditions this summer.

Now that the temperatures are slowly rising, it's still been pleasant and the butterflies are out and about.

With the breezes, it's ideal butterfly weather.

In the top photo is a Buckeye butterfly sipping nectar from a Coast gumplant flower.

The Buckeye seemed very content to be in the native patch area. Between nectaring sessions it would take in the warmth of the sun on the woodchips that cover a path through the field.

Here is a Painted Lady unfurling its proboscis as it prepared to sip nectar from a flowerhead on one of the Verbena de la Mina shrubs.

Even the Mylitta Crescent butterflies are showing up now.

Last September was the very first time I ever saw one, a male, in this same field.

This is a female, sipping nectar from a flowerhead on the Seaside Woolly Sunflower.

The little skippers are so delightful to observe, as they flit around and pose as long as the sun shines.

This is a Fiery Skipper sipping nectar from a Gumplant blossom.

As you can see, all of these butterflies are visiting yellow or purple colored flowers.

These are all California natives.

It seems that most of the California natives have yellow, orange, blue, purple or white blossoms.

Of course there are some natives that have red or magenta colored blossoms, but the majority seem have yellow or purplish blossoms.

This is the first time that I planted successfully Gumplants (Grindelias) and the Seaside Woolly Sunflower.

They are just amazing shrubs, producing bright yellow blossoms which attract pollinators all day long.