Backyard Orchard News
LIndcove REC Fruit Display and Tasting!
This weekend is the annual Lindcove REC Fruit Display and Tasting Event! (22963 Carson...
Bumble Bee Braking During a Winter Break
You never know what you'll find when you visit a pollinator garden. Take the case of our visit...
A queen yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, brakes during a winter break in Sonoma. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Of Butterfly Patterns and Genetic Codes
Who knew? You've probably watched those colorful painted ladies (Vanessa cardui) fluttering...
A painted lady, Vanessa cardui, on lantana in Vacaville, Calif. Now researchers at the University of Manitoba have identified the genetic code by which butterflies can assign color patterns to different parts of their wings during development. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A painted lady, Vanessa cardui, nectaring on lantana in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The presence of a predator startles a painted lady, Vanessa cardui. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Lady Beetles: The First Ladies of the Garden Having a Ball
See those red spots on your milkweed seed pods? Lady beetles (aka ladybugs or "garden heroes") are...
A lady beetle feasts on aphids on a milkweed plant, Gomphocarpus physocarpus, also known as balloon-plant milkweed or hairy balls. Note the spiky hairs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Peek-a-boo? Or peek-a-beetle? A lady beetle, resplendent in red, crawls through the spiky hairs of milkweed seed pods. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Hurry! A lady beetle snags aphids on a milkweed seed pod, while other aphids try to escape (far right). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
What This Katydid Did...
It's not a question of whether katydid did or didn't. She did. In answer to...
Who goes there? That would be a katydid peeking out between yellow rose petals. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The green katydid cannot camouflage itself on a yellow rose. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bottoms up! A katydid tunnels into a yellow rose. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)