Lovely Cabbage White blending in with Blossom
At first glance doesn't this look like an exotic flower with a lot of petals? That's what I thought at first until I realized that the...
Carpenter Bee approaching Mystic Spires Salvia
My what big eyes you have! This is a male California Carpenter Bee Xylocopa californica. There is some pollen caught on its hairs. In...
A Masked Bee Female in the Garden
I'm very excited to have observed for the first time in the garden a masked bee Hylaeus rudbeckiae. This one is a female on the blossom...
Wool Carder Bees settled in for the summer
The wool carder bees Anthidium manicatum are back in full force, now that the lambs ears are blooming. Although they forage for nectar...
The friendly Umber Skipper
Another cheerful Umber Skipper Poanes melane in the garden, this time perched on the top of a Chiapas flower stem. There are many of...
Ivory Banded Digger Bee - first featured star of Pollinator Week
All hail the mighty little Ivory Banded Digger Bee Anthophora urbana ! These solitary bees nest i the soil, often in flat, bare ground....
Last of the Pandora Poppies
Alas, the Pandora poppies Papaver rhoeas 'Pandora' are at the end of their blooming season. They are oh, so lovely, and actually quite...
Cabbage White on the Red Valerian
Cabbage Whites Pieris rapae are always a joy to observe as they flit through the garden, seemingly weightless. They were introduced to...
Navajo Fleabane is thriving
A few years ago I was extremely fortunate to find and purchase this rare plant, Erigeron concinnus Navajo Fleabane, from Annies Annuals...
Easy Fava Bean Spread
Hooray! Fava beans are in season! One of my favorite spreads is made with fava beans. Some people think it's too much work, but I...
