As the California asters come into bloom, flocks of butterflies stop by for a meal.
Category Archives: insects
It’s pipevine time again!
California Dutchman’s Pipe flowers putting on a show in late January.
The meadow at it’s messiest: butterfly paradise
After summer’s growth, the asters have come into flower, bringing clouds of hungry butterflies. This is when the meadow is tallest, where it starts looking wild and unkempt. Asters arc in all directions, visited by multiple species of butterflies: skippers, buckeyes, blues, sulfurs… Beneath the asters, native goldenrod blooms following earlier waves of flowers nowContinue reading “The meadow at it’s messiest: butterfly paradise”
Got Birds? How to bring nature back into your outdoor environment
Imagine every yard with at least some habitat designed in: food plants for bees and butterflies, berries for birds, a variety of plants for foraging. Looking at the typical suburb in a satellite photo, you might notice the dominant plant type: lawn. It might be a great place to play from time to time, butContinue reading “Got Birds? How to bring nature back into your outdoor environment”
Not just for the butterflies: California Dutchman’s Pipe
California Dutchman’s pipe vines flower in winter, feed caterpillars and are native to California. Interesting flowers, easy care and ecological benefits, all in one easy to grow plant!
Aster chilensis trimming results
Last year, our California asters grew. And grew. And grew. By flowering time, the plants were about six feet tall. Too hard to appreciate the flowers at that height without a ladder, but the plants had a solution: as the season progressed, they drooped. We couldn’t cut them because we wanted the seeds as aContinue reading “Aster chilensis trimming results”
A (mostly) native garden by a stream
A mostly native garden thrives along a suburban streambank.
Where are the Monarchs?
Where have our local monarch butterflies gone? They seem to have almost disappeared from the Sacramento region.
Pemphredon! Aphids despair!
I noticed a lot of sawdust coming out of the wood stumps propped up and drilled to make habitat for mason bees. A stakeout with camera should solve the mystery. After several minutes, a tiny iridescent black wasp zipped into a hole in the stump. Definitely not a mason bee! Getting a photo was likeContinue reading “Pemphredon! Aphids despair!”
The incredible flying circus
The Aster chilensis is blooming, and it’s the biggest insect party of the year. The plants are covered with skippers, with frequent visits by mason bees and other creatures. Despite its Latin name implying South American origins, it’s a California native – but from the Southern part. It’s common name, California aster, makes its originsContinue reading “The incredible flying circus”