Posts Tagged: Echium wildpretii

Tower of Jewels: Christmas in May?

Christmas in May? When it's in full bloom, the aptly named "tower of jewels," Echium wildpretii, which can tower as high as 10 feet, looks...

Honey bees can't get enough of the tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. The plant yields both nectar and pollen. The pollen is blue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bees can't get enough of the tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. The plant yields both nectar and pollen. The pollen is blue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee peers through the blossoms of the tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee peers through the blossoms of the tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

You Don't Have to Crane Your Neck to See Them

They're out there, and you don't have to crane your neck to see them. Some folks mistakenly call them "mosquito hawks" or "mosquito eaters," but...

A common crane fly, Tipula oleracea, on a tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A common crane fly, Tipula oleracea, on a tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Painted Ladies: Yes, They Do!

Yes, they do, and yes, she did. Painted lady butterflies, Vanessa cardui, do lay their eggs on Echium wildpretii, commonly known as "the tower of...

A painted lady, Vanessa cardui, laying her eggs on a tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A painted lady, Vanessa cardui, laying her eggs on a tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This painted lady, Vanessa cardui, is foraging on lantana in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This painted lady, Vanessa cardui, is foraging on lantana in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Two Bees: A Close Encounter with a Cousin

So here I am, a male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, just enjoying the nectar on this tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii, in...

A honey bee, Apis mellifera, buzzes over the head of a male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, on a tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee, Apis mellifera, buzzes over the head of a male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, on a tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The honey bee's feet touches the antennae of the male Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The honey bee's feet touches the antennae of the male Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The honey bee's abdomen touches the head of the male Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The honey bee's abdomen touches the head of the male Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Up, up and away. Off to the next blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Up, up and away. Off to the next blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Watch out, Mr. Carpenter Bee, I'm coming back down. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Watch out, Mr. Carpenter Bee, I'm coming back down. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

You're crowding me, Ms. Honey Bee! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

You're crowding me, Ms. Honey Bee! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

I'm outta here, says the carpenter bee to the honey bee. Take it all, it's yours. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

I'm outta here, says the carpenter bee to the honey bee. Take it all, it's yours. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Little Brown, Carefully Wrapped Package in the Garden

The predator and the prey... Or the predator-to-bee. Currently, honey bees are foraging on our tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii, in our family's...

A praying mantis egg case, ootheca, on the tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A praying mantis egg case, ootheca, on the tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee steps over a praying mantis egg case, an ootheca. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee steps over a praying mantis egg case, an ootheca. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A praying mantis dining on a honey bee in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A praying mantis dining on a honey bee in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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