Posts Tagged: gulf fritillary
Just a Day in the Life of a Butterfly
It's early morning. A newly eclosed Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, perches alone in the center of a lavender bed in Vacaville, Calif. It's too early for the honey bees. This...
It's early morning, and a newly eclosed Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, perches on lavender in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
As the sun warms her wings, the Gulf Fritillary unfolds them gingerly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Gulf Fritillary spreads her wings and prepares for take-off as honey bees arrive to forage on the lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Year 2020 Felt Like a Close Encounter of the Worst Kind
The year 2020 felt like a close encounter of the worst kind. The raging COVID-19 pandemic, the California wildfires, the political scene, the poverty, the racial uprisings, the stay-at-home...
Oops! A Gulf Fritillary, Araulis vanillae, lands near a praying mantis, a female Mantis religiosa, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The praying mantis lurches toward the unsuspecting butterfly and tries to snag it with its spiked forelegs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Escape! The Gulf Fritillary escapes the predator's clutches. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Thanksgiving: It's All About Sharing
Thanksgiving isn't about selecting the largest turkey in the store, engaging in road rage or aisle anger, or preparing for the Black Friday sales. Thanksgiving is all about sharing--sharing...
A Gulf Fritillary butterfly, Agraulis vanillae, shares the nectar of a passionflower (Passiflora) with three honey bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Passion on Passion
It's not often you see "passion on passion." That would be the "passion butterfly"--Gulf Fritillary, Agaulis vanillae--on the blossom of its host plant, the passionflower vine,...
The Gulf Fritillary, Agaulis vanillae, spreads its wings on a passion flower in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The orange butterfly has silver spangled wings, which makes it appear as two different butterflies. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Gulf Fritillary making the rounds of the passionflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Gulf Fritillary moves around one more time. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Passion Is Where You Find It
Those passion flowers (Passiflora) are insect magnets. One minute you'll see a praying mantis on a blossom. The next minute, a Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae. And the next morning, the blossom...
A female praying mantis, Mantis religiosa, crawls over a passionflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, lands on a passionflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Notice the spider's thread across the blossom of this passionflower vine? The spider knows where the prey is. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)