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Posts Tagged: Tithonia
Welcome, First Monarch of the Year!
We never thought we'd see one this year. And then it arrived. The first monarch sighting of the year. A Danaus plexippus majestically touched down...
Yes, that's a monarch! A monarch touched down in a Vacaville, Calif. pollinator garden at 5 p.m. Aug 9. It's nectaring on Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Just Being Totally Territorial
What was that! If you grow Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia) in your pollinator garden, you've probably noticed the fast-flying longhorned male bees...
A male longhorned bee, Melissodes agilis, targets the back of a painted lady, Vanessa cardui, on a Mexican sunflower in a Vacaville pollinator garden. This is typical territorial behavior. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Heads up! A male longhorned bee, Melissodes agilis, heads straight for the painted lady butterfly, Vanessa cardui. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A monarch butterfly is interrupted by a male longhorned bee engaging in territorial behavior. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Of Predators, Sidewalks and Black Saddlebags...
It's always a good day when you encounter a dragonfly on Main Street USA. Such was the case on Wednesday, July 17 when seemingly out of nowhere, a...
A female Tramea lacerata or black saddlebags dragonfly, on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) in Vacaville, Calif. Shortly after this image was taken, it flew. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Male Longhorned Bees: Boys' Night Out!
Boys' Night Out! Have you ever seen a cluster of longhorned male bees sleeping overnight on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia)? Every day around...
Male longhorned bees, Melissodes, spending the night on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia)in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Male longhorned bees, probably Melissodes agilis, begin to wake up after spending the night clustered on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Where Are You, Gulf Fritillaries?
Where are you, Gulf Fritillaries? The Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) population seems to be diminishing this year around Solano and Yolo...
A Gulf Fritillary shares a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) with a hover fly (Syrphid). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Gulf Fritillary laying an egg on the tendril of a passionflower vine (Passiflora). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up shot of a Gulf Fritillary egg. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A very hungry Gulf Fritillary caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A newly eclosed Gulf Fritillary and its chrysalis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Gulf Fritillary spreads its wings on Passiflora. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
