Backyard Orchard News
Flurry of Pink at Gold Ridge
There's a flurry of pink at the Gold Ridge. That would be the Luther Burbank Gold Ridge Experiment...
A pink lady, Amaryllis belladonna, nearly swallows a foraging honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee trails the pink petals of a naked lady, Amaryllis belladonna. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Are Western Monarchs Heading for Extinction?
Are western monarch butterflies heading for extinction? A Sept. 7 article in Reuters, headlined...
A male monarch takes flight on Sept. 12 in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A male monarch heads for another flower on tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Startled, a male monarch abruptly leaves a tropical milkweed blossom, Asclepias curassavica, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Monarchs nectaring on tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Bright Face in the Garden: Banded Argiope
We have bright faces in our Vacaville, Calif., pollinator garden. The bright faces are usually...
A banded garden spider, Argiope trifasciata, stretches out near its wrapped bee in a Vacaville, Calif. pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
See the freeloader fly, family Milichiidae, feasting on the wrapped bee? Below it: the banded garden spider, Argiope trifasciata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of the banded garden spider, Argiope trifasciata. Argiope is Latin for “with bright face” while trifasciata is Latin for “three-banded.” (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Day a Widow Skimmer Came Calling
Just as all lady bugs aren't ladies, all widow skimmer dragonflies aren't female. A mature male...
A mature male Libellula luctuosa, aka “Widow Skimmer," perches on a bamboo stake in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A strong gust of wind pushed the widow skimmer's wings below its body. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of mature male Libellula luctuosa, aka “Widow Skimmer." This one was recently mated. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Exploring the Wonders of Insects--With a UC Davis Aboretum Talk and Tour
If you want to learn about insects, join entomologists Joel Hernandez and Melissa Cruz for their...
Entomologist Joel Hernandez led a butterfly tour last year at the UC Davis Arboretum. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)