More birds, fewer bugs

I wonder if I’m paying more attention to the birds because it’s time to resign myself to not seeing any Monarch butterflies this year. I saw plenty of other big orange and yellow butterflies, but not one monarch, not even in passing. What happened to them?

The butterfly bush works

I’m beginning to resign myself to not seeing any monarch butterflies this year. It’s strange. I saw several last year (or possibly the same one taunting me), and the year before streams and streams of them in the fall migration. This year, not the merest sight of a monarch. Not that there’s been a shortage [...]

Jupiter is a dot

I saw lots of neat stuff today, but you’ll have to take my word for it.
First thing this morning, two goldfinches were feeding on the coneflowers, and the nyjer feeder, and the evening primrose.  But I didn’t get a picture and you’ll have to take my word for it.

Black swallowtail

Time for another big fat butterfly picture. This one I caught Monday, when I saw a huge butterfly swooping around the butterfly bush. How cliche. How pretty. The way it kept sweeping its wings as it fed made it hard to miss, even from a distance. That’s why the wings are a bit blurry.
According to [...]

Big Fat Yellow Butterfly

Let’s see, how are the flower weeks doing? The roses are petering out, but there’s still plenty of them. The peonies look good, though thunderstorms tonight will probably put a stop to that. The irises are in full flower, so maybe I should stop badmouthing them. They do last more than a week each, but [...]

Alebrije

I’ve been suckered by the craziest thing. Have you ever been to an animal shelter and there’s that one cat (or dog) and you take one look and you know you’re in trouble. Well, I got that feeling when I saw Leroy.
He’s an alebrije, a wood carving from Oaxaca. They’ve travelled from fever dreams to [...]

California goldenrod

While out in my old stomping ground, I also visited the Old Mission Dam. It was built in the early 19th century by the Indians and monks of Mission San Diego de Alcala to create a steady water supply from the San Diego river. Now it’s a quiet little park. There were ducks on the [...]

The Elusive Monarch

Finally,  the butterfly bush (Buddleia) lives up to its name. It even slowed down that pesky Monarch butterfly that’s been taunting me all summer. It enjoyed the flowers just long enough for me to get a few pictures. Though it’s late, I’m still hoping to see more.

What Butterfly Bush?

You know you’re obsessed with bees when you buy a Butterfly Bush (or Buddleia) because there are gigantic bees buzzing all over it. Meanwhile, there was a plant sprouting in my yard that I half-knew what it was but couldn’t quite name it, until I plunked down the storebought Buddleia.
I took one look and thought, [...]

Not A Monarch, Not Milkweed

I’m not totally obsessed with bees. I’m looking for butterflies, too. Just the other day, I saw a bright yellow fluttering go by, but it wasn’t a monarch. I don’t think I’ve seen this kind before. My first guess is a Pink-edged Sulphur. He really didn’t want to sit still, and I think he looks [...]