Bug Blog
Saga of a Spider's Kill
For more than two weeks now, we've been watching a banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) trap and wrap its unfortunate prey (fortunate if you're a spider, unfortunate if you're the prey)...
A banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) straddling lavender stems. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
What prey is this? It appears to be a huge black bee, a female Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of the prey, which turned out to be a female Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Never Say 'Pipe Down' to a Pipevine Swallowtail
Never say "pipe down" to a pipevine swallowtail. It's a butterfly we treasure. You may have seen it nectaring on your butterfly bush. It's black with blue iridescent upper wings and orange...
A pipevine swallowtail, Battus philenor, flashes its colors. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Side view of a pipevine swallowtail nectaring on a butterfly bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Pipevine swallowtail in a familiar pose. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Black and blue on blue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Pipevine swallowtail in flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Greed or Need?
Talk about greed. Talk about gluttony. How much food does a banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) need? For 30 minutes, we watched a well-fed banded garden spider catch bee after bee in its...
Fish-eye view of a banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) with prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
An intruder, a smaller spider (top), heads toward the resident spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The intruder is toast--or a wrap. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Nobody Lost Their Head Today
Nobody lost their head today. Oh, in the people world, all across our nation's workplaces, they did. Eyes rolled, tempers flared, outbursts erupted and some angry assailants went into what my ol'...
Mating praying mantids on sedum. The male looks like a thin blade of grass. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A mama-to-be and her handsome agile mate made quite a pair. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Praying mantids in disguise. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Let's count the heads. Yes, there are two. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Monarchs on the Move
The Monarchs are on the move. In the late summer and early fall, the Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) head for the California coastline or central Mexico to overwinter. "Monarchs west of the Rocky...
A Monarch nectaring on a butterfly bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Monarch soars, spreading its wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Monarch showing its brilliant colors. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Monarch, outlined against a blue sky, sips nectar from a butterfly bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)