Posts Tagged: Agraulis vanillae

NIMBY? Yes, When It Comes to Butterflies!

NIMBY isn't always a negative or contentious term. NIMBY--"Not in My Back Yard"--is a term used to target unwanted development projects in a...

Melanic phase of a Gulf Fritillary caterpillar, rare in California. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Melanic phase of a Gulf Fritillary caterpillar, rare in California. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey

Melanic Gulf Fritillary caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Melanic Gulf Fritillary caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

An adult Gulf Fritillary on a passion flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

An adult Gulf Fritillary on a passion flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Passionate About the Passionflower Vines

Valley carpenter bees are passionate about passionflower vines (Passiflora). You see these black bees foraging on the blossoms. Tiny grains of...

A female Valley carpenter bee is covered with yellow pollen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A female Valley carpenter bee is covered with yellow pollen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Female Valley carpenter bee on a passionflower blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Female Valley carpenter bee on a passionflower blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Just Emerged: Gulf Fritillary Butterfly

Call it serendipity. Call it a prize from the sky. Frankly, it's not every day that a newly emerged Gulf Fritillary butterfly, Agraulis...

Newly emerged Gulf Fritillary butterfly, fresh from its chrysalis, lands on a bed of wood chips. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Newly emerged Gulf Fritillary butterfly, fresh from its chrysalis, lands on a bed of wood chips. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Gulf Fritillary starts to stir. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Gulf Fritillary starts to stir. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Gulf Fritillary drying off on a passionflower vine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Gulf Fritillary drying off on a passionflower vine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Gulf Fritillary slightly opens its wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Gulf Fritillary slightly opens its wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

First opening of the wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

First opening of the wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Another butterfly comes down to investigate. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Another butterfly comes down to investigate. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

One last spread of the wings, and it's off. It's a male.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

One last spread of the wings, and it's off. It's a male. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Terminator

So here you are, a Gulf Fritillary caterpillar, chowing down on the leaves of a passionflower vine. Your mother laid an egg, you hatched into a...

A European paper wasp on the hunt. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A European paper wasp on the hunt. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A European paper wasp attacks a Gulf Fritillary caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A European paper wasp attacks a Gulf Fritillary caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The European paper wasp tears apart the caterpillar, food for its young. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The European paper wasp tears apart the caterpillar, food for its young. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

It All Begins with an Egg

It's no surprise that students as young as kindergarteners are eager to learn about the life cycle of a butterfly--from an egg, to a caterpillar to a...

Tiny Gulf Fritillary butterfly egg at end of a tendril on a passionflower vine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tiny Gulf Fritillary butterfly egg at end of a tendril on a passionflower vine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A very hungry caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A very hungry caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A chrysalis: soon a butterfly will emerge. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A chrysalis: soon a butterfly will emerge. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

An adult Gulf Fritillary. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

An adult Gulf Fritillary. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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