Facebook
X (Twitter)
Reddit
Pinterest
Tumblr
LinkedInPosts Tagged: Hugh Dingle
Food for Thought and Food for the Monarchs
Is tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, a "bad" plant? Should Californians pull it from their gardens? No, say many scientists, including Hugh Dingle, professor emeritus of entomology, behavior and evolution at UC Davis. Professor Dingle is an internationally known expert on animal...
A tiny monarch egg, about the size of a pin head. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Year 2023: What Does the Year Hold for Monarchs and Tropical Milkweed?
Do monarch butterflies know what they want/need? Apparently so, from personal observation. Over the years, we've grown multiple species of milkweed in our pollinator garden in Vacaville, Calif. We give them a choice. The species include: Narrow-leafed...
A monarch caterpillar feeding on tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A monarch nectaring on tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey bees and other pollinators frequent tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Tropical Milkweed Doesn't Deserve the Bad Rap
Fact: Milkweed is the host plant of the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus. Fact: Without milkweed, no monarchs. Yet a milkweed species that's been thriving in California for more than a century is getting a bad rap. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), apparently...
A monarch nectaring on tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A monarch caterpillar foraging on tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of a monarch caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A monarch laying an egg on a tropical milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
How Little We Know About Monarchs...
How little we know about monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus... And how long misinformation can linger... Take the news about the overwintering 250,000 monarchs recorded along the California coast in the Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count spearheaded by the Xerces Society...
Monarchs overwintering in the Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz, in 2016. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Overwintering Milkweed Bugs on the Prowl
Have you seen any overwintering milkweed bugs lately? About a dozen milkweed bugs, Oncopeltus fasciatus, emerged from seclusion Jan. 2, 2022 in our Vacaville garden. The temperature hovered at 32 degrees that morning, but when the sun peeked out, there they were....
Two's company, three's a crowd? Milkweed bugs on a cactus on Jan. 2, 2022 in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A colorful milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus, sunning itself on a succulent on Jan. 2, 2022 in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Warmth of the January sun and these milkweed bugs are getting all of it. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
