Don't cut down those dead stems of native plants!
The Hummingbird Hill Native Plant Nursery took these photos with a macro lens to show how important it is to leave native plants standing...
Gulf Fritillary in the late autumn sun
Now that the days are much cooler here, there are few butterflies around. When the daytime temperatures hit the mid-60's at the warmest,...
Hangry Monarch Caterpillars
This article confirmed what I've observed about monarch caterpillars. I've seen and wondered about the head-butting when one of these...
Ultraviolet light, flowers and pollinators
What a fascinating article and equally fantastic photos by Craig Burrows, of flowers and how they appear to pollinators. The pollen of...
Ah, bees
It's so good to still see many pollinators around, including bees and butterflies. Here is a Yellow-Face bumble bee Bombus vosnesenskii...
Mamma Monarchs
Several monarch butterflies visit the garden every day, all day, as long as there is daylight. They flutter by, making stops on lavender,...
Yellow-faced Bumble Bee and the California Poppy
On a windy afternoon, a Yellow-faced bumble bee Bombus vosnesenskii, was determined to collect pollen from a California poppy. As the...
It's butterfly weather
While we feel uncomfortable with very warm or hot weather the butterflies are out in great numbers. In the above photo, a Gray Hairstreak...
Sleeping Summer Long-Horned Bee
Yesterday as I made the morning rounds of the garden, I came upon this sleeping bee on a dried flower head of a Pozo Blue salvia plant....
Butterflies feeding on the ever popular Red Valerian
Although the smoky air has been often quite toxic, full of particulates, somehow the pollinators and other wildlife manage. A few painted...
