Worst Months for Plants in Phoenix Although you may initially assume that the months with the hottest average temperature pose the biggest threat to plants, other factors also contribute to plant stress levels. Let’s look at a table of average weather in Phoenix: Temps of 100 plus are common June through September. July and August pose additional challenges for plants, withContinue reading “Worst Months for Plants in Phoenix”
Best Months to Observe Butterflies in Phoenix Butterflies are most active when it’s warm and when nectar sources are readily available. So what are the best months to observe butterflies in the Phoenix Sonoran Desert? In Phoenix, Queens, Fiery Skippers and Gulf Fritillaries are usually around all summer. You can expect to see a showing of butterflies in the late winter intoContinue reading “Best Months to Observe Butterflies in Phoenix”
Bee Flies as Pollinators Family Bombyliidae (Bee Flies): A pollinator with a bad reputation. They are among the many flies that imitate bees, bumble bees specifically. By hovering, instead of landing, they avoid many predators hiding in the flowers. Adults generally feed on nectar and pollen, some being important pollinators. Larvae generally are parasitoids of other insects, including bees. The adult females usually deposit eggsContinue reading “Bee Flies as Pollinators”
How Many Butterfly Species Live in the Sonoran Desert? The Sonoran Desert is bounded to the north by the Mogollon Rim, to the west by the southeastern corner of California and down into Baja California, and to the south by Sonora, Mexico. There are over 250 species of butterflies in the Sonoran Desert. This rich butterfly diversity is due in part to the variedContinue reading “How Many Butterfly Species Live in the Sonoran Desert?”
About Native Bees in the Sonoran Desert – Stings and Nests Most of the news goes to the Honey Bee, a non-native European import, but there are about 1,000 species of native bees in the Sonoran Desert bioregion. And unlike the general bee stereotype, most native bees are solitary and don’t produce honey. Whereas honey bees build honeycomb hives and live in large colonies, native bees,Continue reading “About Native Bees in the Sonoran Desert – Stings and Nests”
It’s June – where are all the native bees? A hike in a Phoenix nature preserve today revealed very little in bloom, and consequently few native bees or butterflies. Most of the Sonoran Desert native bees have just one generation per year, so, unlike the non-native Western Honeybee, many native bees will only be active and visible during the Spring or Summer wildflower blooms.Continue reading “It’s June – where are all the native bees?”
Meet the Author: Dr. Shaun McCoshum An interview with Shaun McCoshum about his background, interests, research, and new gardening book.
Book Review: Gardening for Wildlife in the arid south west regions Thank you for reading my review of “A short introduction to Gardening for Wildlife in the arid south west regions” by Dr. Shaun McCoshum. If you are interested, the book is available for purchase on Amazon.com With 29 full-size pages, this book is lightweight, but not light on content. It is specifically aimed at aridContinue reading “Book Review: Gardening for Wildlife in the arid south west regions”
Glamorous Moths #5 – Penstemonia The way that gardeners feel about moths and butterflies is often quite different, despite how closely related they are. We are happy to grow milkweed to attract Monarchs and allow the caterpillars to devour whole plants. Weed is in the name milkweed, so I think we value the plant more for its role in theContinue reading “Glamorous Moths #5 – Penstemonia”
What are those white “eggs” all over my Cascalote? Also described a “salt deposits” or “sugary specs” and followed by yellowing leaves, black mold spots and defoliation. What’s going on? Sometimes called jumping plant lice, psyllid feed on a variety of plants. Both adults and nymphs feed by piercing the leaf surface to extract cell sap, and excrete “honeydew”, a sweet sticky residue thatContinue reading “What are those white “eggs” all over my Cascalote?”
Pollinator Web: Arizona Bark Scorpion Observing the cast of characters that comprise the pollinator web ecosystem in the low desert in Phoenix Arizona. Although this scorpion does not seek to attack humans, it will sting if threatened, especially if its young are threatened. The bark scorpion is able to climb vertical surfaces that are sufficiently rough, and can enter aContinue reading “Pollinator Web: Arizona Bark Scorpion”
The Lifecycle of Butterflies A comparative look at a few southwest species It’s early May in Phoenix and we’re starting to see lots of blues, and more and more Monarchs, Queens, Yellows, Whites and Skippers. But in my yard there has been an interesting lag the past couple of years – I’ll observe an early generation of butterflies inContinue reading “The Lifecycle of Butterflies”
Milkweed Bugs: Friend or Foe? What are those reddish-orange and black bugs crawling all over your milkweed, and are they harmful? Like many elements in an ecosystem, the answer fits into the gray zone. Large Milkweed bugs (Oncopeltus fasciatus) and Small Milkweed bugs (Lygaeus kalmia) love your milkweeds as much as the Monarch and Queen butterflies, and they exist togetherContinue reading “Milkweed Bugs: Friend or Foe?”
The potential consequences of ‘bee washing’ by Sheila R. Colla (2022) Over recent decades, the plight of wild bees and other pollinators has gone from a niche area to one of the most mainstream environmental topics. Scientific research interest, capacity and consequently publications have grown tremendously in recent years, as has mainstream media coverage. The public has been engaged in a variety of ways to “save the bees”Continue reading “The potential consequences of ‘bee washing’ by Sheila R. Colla (2022)”
On Farming Metal From Plants and Intelligence Beyond Humans Basking in our industrial and technological successes, humans have proudly flaunted their superiority over the natural world. But now the true cost of that hubris is coming to light – is it too late? The answer will likely only make itself available in hindsight, but it’s not too late to learn. In James Bridle’s GuardianContinue reading “On Farming Metal From Plants and Intelligence Beyond Humans”
One Year in my Pollinator Garden Highlights from my pollinator garden in New Mexico, featuring more than 70 native bees and 300 species of insects.
Glamorous Moths #4 – Southern Flannel Moth Wide ranging across the southern USA and northern Mexico, the Southern Flannel moth, Megalopyge opercularis, is this week’s featured moth. Read more here, if you’re interested: Megalopyge opercularis (ufl.edu). Flannel moths are in Superfamily Zygaenoidea with Jewel Caterpillar moths, like Dalcerides. It’s larval food plants are mostly oak trees and some Manzanita species in ArizonaContinue reading “Glamorous Moths #4 – Southern Flannel Moth”
The Ladies and a Gentleman Painted Lady, American Lady, West Coast Lady and Red Admiral Butterflies Brush-footed butterflies belonging to the genus Vanessa, the name of the genus may have been taken from the character Vanessa in Jonathan Swift’s poem “Cadenus and Vanessa,” which is the source of the woman’s name Vanessa. In the poem Vanessa is called a “nymph” eleven times, andContinue reading “The Ladies and a Gentleman”
Meet the Plants: More Beardtongues I previously shared a few common garden Penstemon in this post. Yesterday, I was watching a talk on Penstemon by Dr. Andi Wolfe (Ohio State University) and she has some beautiful slides. Please enjoy this look at Penstemon diversity.
Glamorous Moths #3 – ‘Colorado’ Yucca Moth This is the third post in a semi-regular series of interesting, colorful, and unique moths of Arizona and New Mexico. Today, I’d like to introduce you to yucca moths. Yucca moths are in the Family Prodoxidae and found across the USA and Mexico. They are a spring and summer moth, timing their flights with blooms ofContinue reading “Glamorous Moths #3 – ‘Colorado’ Yucca Moth”
The Gulf Fritillary Butterfly The Gulf fritillary or passion butterfly (Agraulis vanillae/Dione vanillae) is a bright orange butterfly in the subfamily Heliconiinae of the family Nymphalidae. Females are generally larger and have more brown in their markings. Gulf fritillaries have a chemical defense mechanism in which they release odorous chemicals in response to predator sightings. As a result, common predators learn to avoid this species. Gulf Fritillaries have several broodsContinue reading “The Gulf Fritillary Butterfly”
Glamorous Moths #2 – White-lined Sphinx This is the second post in a semi-regular series of interesting, colorful, and unique moths of Arizona and New Mexico. Today’s inspiration comes from a brief encounter last Friday. I was at an orchard and a White-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata), was getting nectar from plum flowers mid-afternoon. These strong fliers are members of FamilyContinue reading “Glamorous Moths #2 – White-lined Sphinx”
Glamorous Moths #1 – Dalcerides ingenita This is the first post in a new, semi-regular series of interesting, colorful, and unique moths of Arizona and New Mexico. The first post is inspired by Ronald Parry’s talk I saw on Zoom last week (recording here on Youtube). In the USA, the label “moths” represent over 90% of all Lepidoptera species, but butterfliesContinue reading “Glamorous Moths #1 – Dalcerides ingenita”
Monarchs Are on Their Way Monarchs leave their Mexican roosts in the second week of March For those of us in the South, Monarchs are already creating the 1st generation of the year, moving north from Mexico and laying eggs on milkweed plants. These Monarchs have had an incredible journey in their migration south in the fall, and now theyContinue reading “Monarchs Are on Their Way”
Great Purple Hairstreak Family Lycaenida, Gossamer Wing Butterflies – Jewels of the Insect World Also known as the Great Blue Hairstreak, Atlides halesus is one of the largest gossamer wing butterflies, but it’s solitary and uncommon. The caterpillars feed on mistletoes (Phoradendron spp.) and there are several broods during the year. The best time to view the GreatContinue reading “Great Purple Hairstreak”
Migration Cycle of the Painted Lady Africa to Europe Migration of 10,000 KM; U.S. from Canada to Mexico Museu De Ciencies Naturals De Granollers presents a fascinating journey of the Painted Lady butterfly from Subtropical Africa to Morocco. Painted Lady are the most widespread butterfly species in the world, and uniquely, their migrations don’t follow a stringent seasonal pattern. Ever noticeContinue reading “Migration Cycle of the Painted Lady”
Species Spotlight – Sandia Hairstreak and Beargrass March 13, 2022. New Mexico’s state insect, the Sandia Hairstreak butterfly, is flying again in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque. Range. Callophrys mcfarlandi was discovered in New Mexico, a state that still encompasses nearly all of its US range. It also occurs in West Texas and south into Mexico. Life History. Larvae have aContinue reading “Species Spotlight – Sandia Hairstreak and Beargrass”
Gardening for Wildlife with Native Plants Plant a Park! Your Adventure Awaits People go to national parks for adventure, beauty, relaxation, and the sense of wonder of visiting a pristine natural area. Planting a tiny “national park” in your yard can bring those benefits home for you and your family to enjoy year-round. If Americans were to replace only half theirContinue reading “Gardening for Wildlife with Native Plants”
Gardening for Life / Doug Tallamy Chances are, you have never thought of your garden – – indeed, of all of the space on your property – – as a wildlife preserve that represents the last opportunity we have for sustaining plants and animals that were once common throughout the U.S. But that is exactly the role that built landscapes areContinue reading “Gardening for Life / Doug Tallamy”
To What Extent Should We Help Pollinators? We plant natives, we irrigate and then admire the parade of pollinators in our garden. But we’re also enabling predators like assassin bugs, crab spiders and small milkweed bugs. A shocking number of plants in my garden are homes to predators. It’s painful to observe the latest victims to this insect offense. Should we sitContinue reading “To What Extent Should We Help Pollinators?”
