Posts Tagged: Tithonia
A Good Day for a Praying Mantis
It was a good day for a praying mantis. It was not a good day for a honey bee. Here's what...
A gravid praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, dines on a honey bee in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
It's Friday Fly Day! Say 'Hi' to a Drone Fly
'Tis "Friday Fly Day" (also known as #Fridayflyday in the Twitter world), and it's almost...
A drone fly, Eristalis tenax, nectaring on a pumpkin-orange Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Side view of a drone fly, Eristalis tenax, sipping nectar from a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The drone fly, Eristalis tenax, is sometimes called an "H bee" for its distinguished "H" on its abdomen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
That's all, folks! A drone fly, Eristalis tenax, prepares to leave a Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Monarch Who Arrived Late for Dinner
Never be late for dinner or it might be all gone. Take the case of the Mexican...
A male monarch arrives Oct. 3 to nectar Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of a male monarch nectaring on Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A spent blossom hangs over a male monarch that is sipping nectar from a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The male monarch samples nectar from a butterfly bush, Buddleia davidii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Spotted Cucumber Beetles: They Know How to Hit the Spot
Western spotted cucumber beetles know how to hit the spot. Make that "multiple...
Wide angle shot of a western spotted cucumber beetle, Diabrotica undecimpunctata, chewing a hole in a petal of a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of a western spotted cucumber beetle chewing a hole in a Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The end result: a Mexican sunflower you wouldn't want to enter in a county fair. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of a western spotted cucumber beetle. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Crab Spider and a Bee
Oh, the patience of a crab spider. It lies in wait on the Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola,...
A crab spider on a Mexican sunflower is ready to ambush prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The crab spider scuttles back and forth. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee, seeking nectar and pollen, lands on the Mexican sunflower, unaware of the predator. It quickly buzzed off. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)