Bug Blog
Butterfly Ballet
If you plant it, they will come. Western tiger swallowtails (Papilio rutulus) can't get enough of our butterfly bush. For the first time ever, we saw two of them and managed to get both in the same...
A Western tiger swallowtail nectarine on a butterfly bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Mirror image! A Western tiger swallowtail spots a member of its species. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Well, hello there! A Western tiger swallowtail checks out another one. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
It's up, up and away. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Got to Kill to Live
Some folks dislike photos of praying mantids snagging, killing and eating their prey. Well, often the "eating" part comes before the "killing" part. Still, they have to kill to live. We all...
A camouflaged praying mantis dining on a bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Can you find the ootheca or egg case of the praying mantis in this birdhouse photo? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Ever Seen a Honey Bee Cleaning Her Tongue?
We humans brush our teeth, and we sometimes brush our tongues. But have you ever seen a honey bee cleaning her tongue? Bay Nature contributing editor Alison Hawks recently asked two of our UC Davis...
A honey bee cleaning her tongue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
It Suits Them to a 'T'
It suits them to a "T." And the "T" is for Tithonia. Many species of butterflies frequent our Tithonia, also known as Mexican sunflower. Like its name implies, it's a member of the sunflower...
Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) on Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon) on Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Monarch (Danaus plexippus) on Tithonia. (PHoto by Kathy Keatley Garvey
A skipper (family Hesperiidae) on Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Meet Me at the Fair!
County fairs are filled with fun, food and festivities. They're meant to educate, inform and entertain. What we've always loved about the county fairs: the incredible exhibits. Especially exhibits...
McCormack Hall assistant superintendent Sharon Payne of Vallejo, a past president of the Solano County 4-H Leaders' Council, stands next to youth photography featuring insects. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
n artist's depiction of the Western tiger swallowtail (above) is one of the exhibits in McCormack Hall, Solano County Fair. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)