Backyard Orchard News
Learn All About Butterflies Sept. 18 at UC Davis Arboretum
You might see monarchs, Gulf Fritillaries, Western tiger swallowtails, pipevine swallowtails, and...
Those on the UC Davis butterfly tour on Sept. 18 may spot monarch butterflies on mlkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Entomologist Joel Hernandez leads a 2015 butterfly tour at the UC Davis Arboretum. He'll conduct another tour at 10 a.m., Sunday, Sept. 18 at the UC Davis Arboretum. (Photo by Elaine Fingerett, UC Davis Arboretum)
Yellowjacket or Paper Wasp?
Western yellowjackets, nicknamed "meat bees" (as opposed to the "vegetarian honey bees") are often...
A Western yellowjacket, Vespula pensylvanica, sipping water. Note the black antennae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A European paper wasp, Polistes dominula, soaking up sun. Note the orange antennae.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This is a European paper wasp nest tucked inside a shrub. Yellowjacket nests are often in abandoned rodent nests. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Extra, Extra, Read All About It!
Extra, extra, read all about it! This "extra" has nothing to do with a special edition of a...
A honey bee heads for a passionflower vine (Passiflora). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
What is the honey bee seeking on the passionflower vine? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The honey bee is seeking extra-floral nectaries on the petiole of a passionflower vine. They are described by Lenore Durkee of Grinnell College, Iowa, as "glands that secrete primarily sugars and are found on the vegetative portions of many species of plants." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Spectacular Spider
You may not like spiders. You may have Arachnophobia, a fear of spiders, or maybe you just dislike...
A redfemured spotted orbweaver, Neoscona domiciliorum, dangles from its web. In the background are Mexican sunflowers, Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Seconds Count When You're Photographing Butterflies
When you're capturing images of butterflies, seconds count. They're unpredictable. They move from...
A mating pair of Gulf Fritillaries, Agraulis vanillae. Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The mating Gulf Frits react to a breeze. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Synchronized Gulf Fritillaries. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A territorial male Gulf Fritillary is just a blur as it heads over to the mating pair. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)