Posts Tagged: David James
Year 2023: What Does the Year Hold for Monarchs and Tropical Milkweed?
Do monarch butterflies know what they want/need? Apparently so, from personal observation. Over the years, we've grown multiple species of milkweed...
A monarch caterpillar feeding on tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A monarch nectaring on tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey bees and other pollinators frequent tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
First Monarch of the Year and First Summit of the Year
So there it was...a monarch lying on its side, one wing down and one wing up, in the middle of a residential neighborhood in west Vacaville,...
A gloved hand holds a male monarch found cold and still in the middle of a residential street in west Vacaville on Jan. 3, 2022. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A male monarch nectars on Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifola) in Vacaville, Calif., on Oct. 26, 2022. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Western Monarchs: 'A Great Breeding Season in 2022'
Ready for some good news about our iconic monarch butterflies? The Western monarch population at overwintering sites in California indicates a...
Overwintering monarchs in Cambria, San Luis Obispo County. This site does not appear on the official list of California's overwintering sites, says WSU entomologist David James. It was home in November to 15,000 butterflies. (Photo by David James, Washington State University entomologist)
A cluster of monarchs at an overwintering site in Bolinas, Calif. (Photo by David James, Washington State University entomologist)
Monarchs clustering at an overwintering site in Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo County. (Photo by David James, Washington State University entomologist)
Seen Any Monarchs Lately? They're Stopping for Flight Fuel
Seen any monarchs lately? A beautiful male glided into our Vacaville garden late yesterday and made himself at home on our Mexican sunflowers,...
A male monarch nectaring on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, on Monday, Oct. 24 in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The nectar from the Tithonia is flight fuel for its journey an overwintering site along the California coast. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Time to go when a honey bee tries to horn in on your nectar! The monarch is prepared for take-off. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Tropical Milkweed Doesn't Deserve the Bad Rap
Fact: Milkweed is the host plant of the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus. Fact: Without milkweed, no monarchs. Yet a milkweed species...
A monarch nectaring on tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A monarch caterpillar foraging on tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of a monarch caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A monarch laying an egg on a tropical milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)