Posts Tagged: gulf fritillary
The Bee and the Butterfly
So here's this Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) clinging to a lavender stem in our pollinator garden. It is all alone--for a little white. Then here come honey bees seeking to forage on the...
A Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) clinging to a lavender stem in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee, seeking nectar from a lavender, buzzes a Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
It's up and over and away for the honey bee. Can't you see as big a thing as me? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Gulf Fritillary heads for the nearby catmint patch. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Gulf Fritillaries: Passion Makes Perfect
No wall can separate a Gulf Fritillary from its host plant, the passionflower vine (Passiflora). The Gulf Frit Agraulis vanillae), an orangish-reddish butterfly of the family Nymphalidae,...
Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) soars over a fence to lay its eggs on its host plant, the passionflower vine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Gulf Fritillary checks out the host plant. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Gulf Fritillary maneuvers its wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Gulf Fritillary spreads its wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Sideview of a Gulf Fritillary showing its silver-spangled underwings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Autumn's Majesty: Tithonia
If there's any flower that should be crowned "Autumn's Majesty," that would be the Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia), aka "Torch."A member of the sunflower family (Asteraceae), it carries...
A Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, lands on a Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
In a sea of nearly spent Mexican sunflowers, a lone migrating monarch, Danaus plexippus, finds food. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee, Apis mellifera, takes a liking to the Tithonia, aka Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A skipper, family Hesperiidae, hangs out on the Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The wings of a black hover fly or syrphid, aka "Mexican cactus fly" (Copestylum mexicanum), gleam in the sunlight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Predators hang out on the Mexican sunflower, too. A crab spider, family Thomisidae, waits for prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
It's National Pollinator Week! See Any Butterflies?
It's National Pollinator Week! Do you know where your pollinators are? Or better yet, do you know how to attract them and protect them? Pollinator Partnership has announced that June 19-25 has...
A Gulf Fritillary, Argraulis vanillae, on pink mallow in Vacaville, Calif. Note its jagged wings: mark of a predator. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A mournful duskywing, Erynnis tristis suns itself on a butterfly bush. Note its jagged wings, the mark of a predator. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A cabbage white butterfly, Pieris rapae, lingering on lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Flora and the Fauna at the Old State Capitol
Erected in 1852, this historic building was ostensibly intended for Benicia City Hall. Offered as the state capitol and promptly accepted, it had that honor from February 4, 1853 to February 25,...
A Western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) spreads its wings on the grounds of the Benicia State Capitol. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Gulf Fritilliary (Agraulis vanillae) nectars on lantana on the grounds of the Benicia State Capitol. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A pomegranate tree with double-blossoms graces the grounds of the Benicia State Capitol and draws honey bees and other insects. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Benicia City Hall building was built in 1852, and served as the state capitol from Feb. 4, 1853 to Feb. 25, 1854. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)