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LinkedInPosts Tagged: Milkweed
Welcome, Little 'Cat; 'Bye, Little 'Cat!
Monarch butterflies seem to be as scarce as hen's teeth around here. And since hens have no teeth, that's pretty scarce. And then it happened. A late in-star monarch caterpillar appeared on our milkweed in our Vacaville pollinator-predator garden on the very last day of July. We watched it...
A visitor! A late in-star monarch caterpillar munches on wilting milkweed in a Vacaville garden in triple-temperature conditions. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The monarch caterpillar keeps on munching the milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of a monarch caterpillar munching milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Let Us Prey
So here's this female praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, camouflaged on a narrow-leaf milkweed, Asclepias fasciculari, in a Vacaville garden. If she thinks she's going to ambush a monarch, she has another think coming. No monarchs in the garden. If she thinks she's going to ambush a...
A female praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, moves up a narrow-leafed milkweed in a search for prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Mantis on the Milkweed
So here's this immature praying mantis, a Stagmomantis limbata, perched on a narrow-leafed milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis, in a Vacaville pollinator garden. She's camouflaged quite well. She's as green and thin as the leaves. Me: "Hey, Ms. Mantis, whatcha doin'?" Ms. Mantis: "Just...
A camouflaged praying mantis, a Stagmomantis limbata, perched on a narrow-leafed milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Praying mantis perched on a milkweed, the host plant for monarchs. She seems to be saying: "Sure, I'm occupying a milkweed, but I promise I'll never even LOOK at a monarch. I'll close my eyes should one flutter by." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The mantis keeps an eye out for prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The mantis assumes the prayerful position--let us prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Louie Yang: From Monarchs and Milkweed to Mentoring and More...
Professor Louie Yang's monarch and milkweed research at the University of California, Davis, is quite celebrated. Yang, a community ecologist and professor in the Department of Entomology and Nematology, is involved in monarch conservation science and planning, in collaboration with the...
Community ecologist Louie Yang, professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, answers questions at a Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on "Monarchs and Milkweed." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Monarchs on the Move...So Many Mysteries
Monarchs on the move...so many mysteries. Where do Western monarchs go after leaving their overwintering sites along coastal California in February? An observation: They didn't stop in the spring or summer to deposit eggs on any of our four species of milkweed in our...
A tiny monarch egg. Image taken on Nov. 14, 2023 in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A monarch caterpillar sharing a milkweed leaf with aphids. This image was taken Nov. 15, 2023 in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Two monarch caterpillars sharing a milkweed leaf. This image was taken Nov. 15, 2023 in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A very hungry monarch caterpillar on the move. This image was taken Nov. 18, 2023 in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Hi, there! A monarch caterpillar faces the camera. This image was taken Nov. 14, 2023 in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
