Backyard Observations
A tree fern's frond slowly unfurling its leaves Meanwhile, nearby, a monarch caterpillar decided to weave its silk pad to attach itself...
Lovely Umber Skipper on a Buddleia flower head
The umber skippers are back! And they are so cute with their large brown eyes and feathery antennae. They are fairly easy to photograph...
Monarch Caterpillars munching and growing
We are no longer raising monarch caterpillars indoors, just letting things happen naturally. Currently there are more than eleven pots of...
Honeybees in the blooms
Oh, if I were a honey bee, I probably would be so happy at this time of year when plants are producing the first blooms of the season,...
Mining Bee and the Tricolored Gilia
Just as I hoped, the Tricolored, or Birds Eye Gilia reseeded throughout our native plant patch, and now there is a lovely mini-meadow....
In the garden now
The garden is full of surprises and plants grow lusher, attracting all kinds of insects and birds. The lambs' ears Stachys byzantina...
The monarch caterpillars are here
...and my have they grown within a couple of weeks! As you may recall from a post last month, I noticed a monarch butterfly circling our...
Ivory Banded Digger Bee!
Gotcha! This is the first ivory banded digger bee Anthophora californica I spotted this year in the garden. It most likely is a female,...
The much maligned, beneficial wasp
I took this photo last weekend of a Sapygid Wasp on one of the Yellow Coastal Bush Lupine blossoms Lupinus arboreus . And see the nasty...
Happy Earth Day!
And here are images from our garden as examples of why Earth Day should be observed every day. Above is a Yellow Faced Bumble Bee Bombus...
