

Yellow-Faced Bumble Bees at work
We definitely seem to have a lot of Yellow-Faced Bumble Bees Bombus vosnesenskii in the garden. They are so cute. Here is a rear view of...


Leaf Cutting Bee and the Echinacea blossom
Last autumn was the first time I planted a coneflower seedling in a large container in our backyard. The seedling grew a couple of inches...


They're here!
Monarch caterpillar on a native Showy milkweed leaf Monarch butterfly mamas have been busy laying eggs on our potted native milkweed...


Acmon Blue laying eggs on buckwheat plant
This afternoon I was very fortunate to witness an Acmon Blue Plebejus or Icaricia acmon laying eggs on two of our native buckwheat...


Anise Swallowtail, what a survivor
An Anise Swallowtail Papilio zelicaon visited the native patch area of the garden, and rested a while on the Mexican salvia hedge. Poor...


Colorful native blooms
In an otherwise quite dry and tan landscape due to drought, colorful native blooms bring so much joy. It's that time of year for the...


Insects and a sprig of rosemary
Jan Van Kessel "Insects and a Sprig of Rosemary" 1653 National Gallery of Art, Washington Such beautiful details of different insects!


Let's celebrate some of our hardest working pollinators today, World Bee Day
We should celebrate our hard working pollinators EVERY day, but at least a day is designated to officially celebrate bees. Above, a...


The adorable umber skipper
How I love the Umber Skippers Poanes melane! I look forward to their arrival every spring. They flit and flutter around the garden all...


Sleeping bees
Take your time, keep your eyes and ears open when you are outdoors in nature, and you will witness the most amazing things. This morning...