Bug Blog
A Very Showy Butterfly
There's a good reason why lepidopterists call the Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) "showy." Its bright orange-red wings, spangled iridescent silver on the underside, and a four-inch wingspan all...
Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) in flight over a passionflower vine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Gulf Fritillary checking out a place to lay her eggs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Gulf Fritillary warming her wings on a passionflower vine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey Bees Need Water, Too!
These triple-digit temperatures make us all thirst for water. Honey bees need water, too. If you see them taking a sip from your birdbath or taking a dip in your pool, the "sip" means they're...
Honey bees find water where they can. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A flat floating cork in the fountain of The Melissa Garden, Healdsburg, is great for bees to buzz down and safely take a sip. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Karate Kick!
If you've ever watched a karate competition, you've probably seen the roundhouse kick, tornado kick, the reverse roundhouse kick or the flying side kick. But have you ever seen a bee do that? We...
A male longhorned sunflower bee, Svastra obliqua, foraging on a Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A male longhorned sunflower bee, Melissodes agilis (right), targets the larger Svastra obliqua. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Melissodes agilis shoots straight up after a powerful kick by Svastra obliqua. (PHoto by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Melissodes agilis (left) goes sprawling. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
How Revolutionary!
There's a fly on President George Washington's nose. Why shouldn't there be? When you pick up Sarah Albee's book, Bugged: How Insects Changed the World, you'll also see and read about mosquitoes,...
This photo of a bee sting, by Kathy Keatley Garvey, appears in Sarah Albee's book, "Bugged."
Watch Out, Below!
"Summertime, and the livin' is easy," belted out Ella Fitzgerald. She wasn't singing about bees, but she could have been. Summertime, and the livin' is easy Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high...
A male sunflower bee, Melissodes agilis, keeps a wary eye out as she forages on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Ah, bliss. A male sunflower bee, Melissodes agilis, is head first in the pollen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A male sunflower bee, Melissodes agilis (as identified by native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis, in a territorial challenge. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)