Posts Tagged: monarch butterfly

Why the Petunia Patch Reigned Supreme Today

All year long, we've been waiting for those majestic monarchs to visit our pollinator garden in Vacaville, as they have in the past 10 years or...

Find the monarch! A monarch stopped to nectar in a Mexican petunia patch Sept. 15 in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Find the monarch! A monarch stopped to nectar in a Mexican petunia patch Sept. 15 in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Zooming in, you can see the iconic monarch nectaring on a Mexican petunia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Zooming in, you can see the iconic monarch nectaring on a Mexican petunia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

International Insect Salon: From 'Bugs Love' to 'Syrphid Feeding' to 'Monarch Laying Eggs'

If you attended the Entomological Society of America's 2021 meeting last week in Denver, you probably saw a monarch laying eggs. That is, you saw a...

This image, "Monarch Laying Eggs," by Joe Virbickis of Washington, Ill., won the medal for "Best by Peoria Camera Club Member." (Copyright Joe Virbickis)

This image, "Monarch Laying Eggs," by Joe Virbickis of Washington, Ill., won the medal for "Best by Peoria Camera Club Member." (Copyright Joe Virbickis)

Best of Show went to Marcus Kam of Malaysia for this image, "Bugs Love." (Copyright Marcus Kam)

Best of Show went to Marcus Kam of Malaysia for this image, "Bugs Love." (Copyright Marcus Kam)

Entomologist Tom Myers won "Best by ESA Member" for this image of a syrphid fly. (Copyright Tom Myers)

Entomologist Tom Myers won "Best by ESA Member" for this image of a syrphid fly. (Copyright Tom Myers)

One of the California-based images accepted in the 2021 international Insect Salon was this one by ESA member Kathy Keatley Garvey, of Gulf Fritillaries "Keeping Busy." (Copyright Kathy Keatley Garvey)

One of the California-based images accepted in the 2021 international Insect Salon was this one by ESA member Kathy Keatley Garvey, of Gulf Fritillaries "Keeping Busy." (Copyright Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Seen Any Monarchs Lately?

Seen any monarchs lately? No, not the British royal family: the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus. Butterfly guru Art Shapiro, UC Davis...

A territorial male bee, Melissodes agilis, targets a monarch nectaring on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in July 2020 in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A territorial male bee, Melissodes agilis, targets a monarch nectaring on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in July 2020 in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A territorial male bee, Melissodes agilis, confronts a monarch nectaring on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in July 2020, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A territorial male bee, Melissodes agilis, confronts a monarch nectaring on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in July 2020, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Tiff on the Tithonia

It was July 3, 2020. The male bees, Melissodes agilis, were getting quite territorial. Every time a butterfly, a honey bee or another...

A territorial bee, a male Melissodes agilis, confronts a monarch butterfly in a Vacaville, Calif. pollinator garden. The prize relinquished: a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A territorial bee, a male Melissodes agilis, confronts a monarch butterfly in a Vacaville, Calif. pollinator garden. The prize relinquished: a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Surprise! A Monarch Caterpillar in C-O-L-D January

"What are YOU doing here?"  It was Saturday morning, Jan. 23 and the monarch caterpillar seemed to be sunning itself on a milkweed leaf in...

A monarch caterpillar on a milkweed leaf on Jan. 23 in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A monarch caterpillar on a milkweed leaf on Jan. 23 in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The third-instar monarch caterpillar crawling to dinner. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The third-instar monarch caterpillar crawling to dinner. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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