Marine Blue Butterflies (Leptotes marina)

Marine Blue Butterfly (Leptotes marina)

One of the more enjoyable aspects of gardening is watching the birds and animals that visit/live in your garden.  Butterflies are among the more popular visitors, and most gardens attract a few species.  But a garden filled with nectar-rich flowers and larval host plants can be alive with many species by mid-summer.  To learn more about butterfly gardening see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2012/06/butterfly-gardens.html

Among the common butterflies visiting native ‘butterfly plants’ are the small species known as the Blue Butterflies.  There are many species of ‘Blues’ throughout the world.  They all are classed as Gossamer-winged Butterflies (Family Lycaenidae), a large group that includes around 40% of all butterfly species (over 5000 species in the Family). Some of the common types of butterflies in this family are the Blue, Copper, Azure and Hairstreak butterflies.  We introduced another Gossamer-wing, the Gray Hairstreak, last month: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2018/07/gray-hairstreak-butterfly-strymon.html

The Gossamer-winged butterflies are mostly small.  They have delicate wings that appear to shine with color.  In the case of the Blue Butterflies, the predominant color of the upper-side of the wings is a shimmery blue that varies with the light.  Gossamer-wings live in a wide range of habitats from deserts to tropical rain forests and wetlands.  And some are common visitors to home gardens.

The Blue Butterflies belong the sub-family Polyommatinae (the Blue Butterflies).  This sub-family has traditionally been a sort of catch-all for species of similar appearance.  So it’s difficult to tell how many species it actually contains (molecular taxonomy will one day sort this out).  Southern California genera currently included in the Polyommatinae are: Brephidium (Pygmy Blues), Celastrina (Azures), Euphilotes, Glaucopsyche, Hemiargus, Leptotes, Philotes, and Plebejus. 

The most widely known (and the rarest) of the local Blue Butterflies are the Palos Verdes and El Segundo Blues (Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis and Euphilotes battoides allyni, respectively).  These two species have very limited geographic ranges (in Western Los Angeles County) and larval food sources.  Efforts to bring these two species back from the brink of extinction have been widely publicized.  Their story has become part of the restoration ecology lore.

Mesquite (Prosopis species): larval food for
 Marine Blue Butterfly (Leptotes marina)

The Marine Blue (Leptotes marina) is a far more common butterfly in S. California.  Its range extends from California and Arizona east to Texas and south to Central  America. [1]  It’s a fairly common small butterfly in S. California, living in Mesquite and Coastal Sage scrub, city gardens and agricultural areas where alfalfa is grown. In the Sonoran Desert, it’s commonly seen along riparian corridors, which contain mesquites or other plants in the bean family.  Because its larval foods are common, gardeners in S. California, Arizona, New Mexico, southern Colorado or Texas may see this butterfly in their home gardens.  Individuals occasionally stray further north, but they apparently don’t over-winter.

The species was named by Tryon Reakirt (1844 – ?) in 1868. Reakirt was a businessman but was really a lepidopterist at heart. [2]   He joined the Entomological Society of Philadelphia at the age of 19 and became an accomplished taxonomist.  Reakirt's Blue butterfly also honors Tryon Reakirt. 

Reakirt was particularly interested in butterflies of the tropics and the American Rockies, publishing nine articles in the Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Philadelphia. He apparently was not a field collector and never visited the American Southwest. Ultimately, his business dealings failed (there were hints of corruption), and Reakirt fled to Peru in 1871.  For more on the little that’s known about this talented lepidopterist see reference 2, below.

Marine Blue Butterfly (Leptotes marina) is small

Like all the Blues, the Marine Blue is a rather small butterfly, with a wingspan ranging from 7/8 to 1 1/8 inches (2.2 - 2.9 cm). [3]  It flies with a rapid, erratic flight pattern, landing to feed or search for mates.   When perched, the wings are usually closed, making it difficult to see (or photograph) the upper wing surface.  The upper surface is an iridescent blue-purple with a hint of brown.  The males have pale brown and white markings on the upper wing surface; females are all blue-purple.  For good photos, see references 3 & 4, below.

Marine Blue Butterfly (Leptotes marina): underside

The undersurface is often the best distinguishing characteristic between the different Blues.  In the case of the Marine Blue, the underside has distinctive, wavy, tan and white bands that are reminiscent of ocean waves coming in to shore.  I’m not sure why the Marine Blue is called ‘Marine’, but suspect it’s because of the ‘waves’.  The underside also has a line of tan and white circles on the wing margins, and two larger, darker spots on the lower dorsal wing (see above).

Marine Blue Butterfly (Leptotes marina): nectaring on
Dune Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium)

Adults nectar on whatever small flowers are blooming.  In our gardens, we most often see them on the native Buckwheats or plants in the Sunflower family.  They are also commonly seen around their larval food plants – the legumes (members of the Pea Family – Fagaceae).  So you may see them near the peas in your vegetable garden as well.  Common larval foods in S. California include the native Milkvetches (Astragalus species), Amorpha californica and fruticosa, Glycyrrhiza lepidota, native Lathyrus (wild pea) and Lotus species, and the non-native Wisterias, Plumbagos, Acacias, alfalfa and garden peas. In the desert, common host plants are the tree and shrubby legumes, including Mesquites (Prosopis species), Acacia greggii, Dalea purpurea and Lysiloma thornberi.

Amorpha fruticosa: larval food source for
 Marine Blue Butterfly (Leptotes marina)

 
Females lay their eggs on the flower buds of host plants. The eggs and young larvae are small and well camouflaged; you’ll have to really look for them. The larvae eat mainly the flowers and the seedpods.  For good photos of eggs, larval stages [4, 5].  For good advice on raising this butterfly see reference 5, below.

 

Marine Blues can be seen year-round in S. California and other warm places.  We see them most often in summer and fall in Mother Nature’s Backyard.  They are fun to observe and add to the interest of a garden.  But what role do they play in the garden ecosystem – and why should we be interested in attracting them?

All butterflies and their larvae provide protein for birds, wasps and other insect-eating species.  So Marine Blues certainly function as prey.  But do they also play a role as pollinators, particularly of the small-flowered species they seem to prefer? In fact, the answer has yet to be discovered.

Marine Blue Butterfly (Leptotes marina): note how hairy this species is.

Butterflies are thought to be minor pollinators for most plants.  Perhaps that’s why relatively little research has been done, except in the case of a few flowering plants.  But a good look at the smaller butterflies, like the Gossamer Wings and Skippers, makes us wonder.  These butterflies have relatively short legs (for butterflies), visit many flowers, and can be seen in large (aggregate) numbers, particularly in areas of the arid Southwest.  These butterflies are also conspicuously hairy, particularly on the underbody and around the face.  All these factors make us wonder if they are more important alternate pollinators than is often thought.

Good studies of pollinator activity are difficult to carry out.  They require time, patience, hard fieldwork and observation.  Probably the best studies document that pollen is actually carried by a pollinator.  Such studies require extreme magnification – at the level of the electron microscope.   As far as we can determine, few studies have focused on the Blues as pollinators.  We hope that some up-and-coming Southwestern lepidopterist will seize the opportunity, enlightening us on the role of the Blue butterflies as pollinators.  That would make a fantastic doctoral dissertation!

The Blue Butterflies also remind us that specialization – whether in nature, agriculture or business – carries with it a substantial risk.  The highly specialized El Segundo and Palos Verdes Blue Butterflies, with their limited larval food sources, are extremely vulnerable to habitat loss.  The more generalist Marine Blues, with their ability to utilize a range of native and non-native legumes, have lots more options.  The Marine Blue serves to remind us that flexibility can be a reasonable survival strategy in times of rapid change – like now.   

Marine Blue Butterfly (Leptotes marina):
Madrona Marsh Preserve, Torrance CA

 

See our other insect postings for more on common insect visitors to S. California gardens: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2016/07/insect-postings-mother-natures-backyard.html

 

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1.       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptotes_marina

2.       http://images.peabody.yale.edu/lepsoc/jls/1960s/1964/1964-18(4)211-Brown.pdf

3.       https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Leptotes-marina

4.       http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/lepidopt/lycaenid/marine.htm

5.       http://leps.thenalls.net/content2.php?ref=Species/Polyommatinae/marina/life/marina_life.htm

6.       http://www.raisingbutterflies.org/leptotes-marina/

 

 

 

We encourage your comments below.   If you have questions about butterflies or other gardening topics you can e-mail us at :  mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com

 

 

 

Gray Hairstreak butterfly – Strymon melinus

Gray Hairstreak butterfly (Strymon melinus): perched on Ashyleaf buckwheat.

July is a great month for butterflies, with many species at their peak numbers. Gardeners who have chosen plants to attract butterflies are justly rewarded this month.  Due to our continuing Western drought, gardens are becoming ever more important for beneficial insects (like butterflies).  To learn more about gardening for butterflies see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2012/06/butterfly-gardens.html

Among the first butterflies noticed by many gardeners are the big, showy species like the Monarchs, Gulf Fritillaries and Swallowtails.  But equally interesting – and important to the garden ecosystem – are the smaller butterflies.  One of our favorites is the Gray Hairstreak - Strymon melinus. 

The Gray Hairstreak is a common species in most parts of the continental U.S. and south to Venezuela. It’s the most common Hairstreak seen in many gardens; you may have noticed it in your own garden, particularly if you grow flowering plants.  Strymon melinus is one of our smaller butterflies, with a wingspan of 7/8 - 1 3/8 inches (2.2 - 3.5 cm).  Like the Swallowtails, the Gray Hairstreak has a single ‘tail’ on the hindwing.

Gray Hairstreak butterfly (Strymon melinus):
feeding on Ashyleaf buckwheat (Eriogonum cinereum)

 

When perched or feeding, a Hairstreak’s wings are usually closed, making the underside of the wing more commonly visible.  The underside is mostly gray, with spring and fall flying adults a darker gray than those of summer.  On close observation, the wings have a thin, pale fringe and thin rather straight black and white band near the edges of both the fore (front) and dorsal wings.  More conspicuous is a darker, more irregular band of blotches that are white, black and orange (see below).  Gray Hairstreaks also have two large orange and black splotches on the hindwing.

 

Gray Hairstreak butterfly (Strymon melinus):
close-up of underside of wings

 

The Gray Hairstreaks we’ve seen have dark eyes and light-and-dark banded antennae with an orange tip.  The heads often have a patch of orange on the back of the head.  The abdomen of females may have a red or orange tinge.  The upper-side is blue-gray with a large orange-red spot near the ‘tail’.  For more good photographs see refs. 1-5, below.

The larvae (caterpillars) have the typical form of Hairstreak larvae.  They are rather flattened, with distinct segments and a slightly tapering abdomen.    Color can range from almost gray through tan, green and even rosy pink or purple.  Earlier chrysalids hatch 7-10 days after pupating (forming a cocoon); fall ones hibernate over winter.     Unfortunately, we don’t have any photos of the larvae or chrysalids.  For excellent photographs – plus advice on raising Strymon melinus – see reference 6.

Gray Hairstreaks can be seen much of the year in warm climates.  They have two flights (sets of hatchlings) per year in colder climates and at higher elevations (May to September).  They often have 3-4 flights (February-November) in warm climates like the lower elevations of S. California.  Males can be seen perched on warm afternoons, waiting for receptive females.   Eggs are laid on the flowers of a variety of host plants – most often in the Pea (Fabaceae) or Mallow (Malvaceae) families.  The young larvae eat mostly flowers and fruits; later stages may eat leaves as well.  In agricultural areas, this species may become a minor pest on bean and cotton crops. [5]

Gray Hairstreak butterfly (Strymon melinus):
 on Eriogonum parvifolium

 

In our gardens, we most often see males perched on upright stems or leaves - or individuals feeding on a wide range of flowers.  Perched individuals often rub their wings together – a behavior commonly seen in Blues, Coppers and Hairstreak butterflies.  The reason for this behavior is unknown; it may be a defensive mechanism, drawing attention to the abdomen rather than the head.  But whatever the purpose, it’s an interesting behavior to observe.

 

Gray Hairstreak butterfly (Strymon melinus): nectaring on
 Ashyleaf buckwheat. Note long, thin proboscis.

 

Gray Hairstreaks inhabit a wide range of sites, in large part due to their relatively unspecific food requirements.  Adults obtain nectar from many plant species.  In our gardens, the most popular seem to be the native Buckwheats (Eriogonum species), the Mints (including Salvias), the many-flowered Sunflowers (Goldenrods,  Goldenbushes and Telegraph plant), Milkweeds and clovers.  We’ve also seen them on Globe Gilia (below) and they are known to frequent other native and non-native garden flowers.



Gray Hairstreak butterfly (Strymon melinus):
 on Globe gilia (Gilia capitata), Mother nature's Backyard.

The larvae are also less selective in their food requirements than many native butterflies.  The host plants are mostly herbaceous annuals and perennials, commonly in the Pea or Mallow families.  Recorded local host species include garden beans (Phaseolus), native Lotus species, clovers (Trifolium species), Amorpha (false indigo), mallows (including hibiscus), Humulus (hops), Polygonum species, Eriogonum (Buckwheats), Salvia (Sage) species and cotton.  There likely are other host plants, yet to be discovered.  Grow any of these to provide an incentive for Gray Hairstreaks to live in your garden.

So what role do Gray Hairstreaks play in the open woodlands, prairies, parks and gardens in which they reside?  First, they act as minor pollinators for the flowering plants they visit.  They are not the most important – that role goes to bees and pollinator flies. But they do their part by increasing the diversity of pollinator species, helping to insure the livelihoods of insect pollinated plants.  In addition, the larvae of all butterflies and moths are an important source of protein for birds and even some insects. 

Gray Hairstreaks also contribute to the beauty and interest of local gardens.  They are fun to watch and observation can be done close to home.  You may want to record your observations – and send your photos to iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/). You may even discover a new host plant for Strymon melinus – right in your own backyard!

 

Like this posting?  See our other insect posts at: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2016/07/insect-postings-mother-natures-backyard.html

 

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1.       https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Strymon-melinus

2.       https://bugguide.net/node/view/579

3.       http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Strymon_melinus/

4.       http://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/butterfly/Strymon/melinus

5.       http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/lepidopt/lycaenid/hair.htm

6.       http://www.raisingbutterflies.org/gray-hairstreak/

 

 

We encourage your comments below.   If you have questions about garden butterflies or other gardening topics you can e-mail us at :  mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com

 

Celebrate National Pollinator Week (June 19-25, 2017)

Ten years ago, the U.S. senate designated one week in June as National Pollinator Week. Like Earth Day, National Pollinator week celebrates one of our countries greatest resources – its pollinators.   Living pollinators enable 80% of the earth’s plant species to reproduce.  Included are many of the fruits, nuts, seeds and grains we eat.  Our world would be a very different place without pollinators!

One purpose of National Pollinator Week is to educate all Americans about the diversity and importance of our native pollinators.  Another purpose is to motivate us to take action. So take a little time this week to celebrate the great diversity of our California pollinators.  Here are a few simple actions you can take: 

1.   Visit the National Pollinator Week website: http://www.pollinator.org/pollinatorweek/

 

2.   Participate in a local Pollinator Week activity

 

3.   Learn about local native pollinators: a good place to start is: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2016/07/insect-postings-mother-natures-backyard.html

 

4.   Plant a pollinator habitat plant: if you live in S. California (or other place with hot, dry summers) you may want to wait to purchase and plant until next fall/winter.  But choose a habitat plant or two (those native to your area are best) and dedicate a part of your garden to pollinator habitat.  Learn more at:

 

http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2013/06/life-friendly-gardening-planning-for.html

http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/bee-pollinators-habitat311

 http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/south-bay-native-plants-for-butterfly-nectar-111

http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/hummingbird-habitat-311

http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/pollinator-moth-habitat311

 

5.   Photograph pollinators, in your garden or in the wilds. Then upload your photos to iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/) to add to our knowledge of native pollinators.   You might even discover a new species in the process!!

 

Valley Carpenter Bee – Xylocopa varipuncta

Female Valley Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa varipuncta) on California encelia
Mother Nature's Backyard Garden

We love the insects in Mother Nature’s Backyard. In fact, our gardens are specifically designed to attract many types of pollinators, from hummingbirds and bees to moths and flies. But each spring we particularly look forward to the large bees.  Just recently we saw one of our favorites, a female Valley Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa varipuncta).  We thought you might enjoy learning about this interesting native pollinator.  Its scientific name is pronounced: ZIE-low-co-puh  vair-ee-PUNK-tuh).

Valley Carpenter Bee is the largest native bee in California. It belongs to the genus Xylocopa (the Carpenter Bees), a genus with approximately 500 species world-wide.  In general, the Carpenter Bees are large, wood-nesting bees found in a variety of habitats, from the sub-tropics to temperate woodlands. 

 

Female Valley Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa varipuncta) -
busy in spring

 

The Valley Carpenter Bee is native to Southwestern U.S. from California to Texas and south into Northern Baja California, Mexico.   Its common name honors California’s Great Central Valley, where this species does, indeed, occur.  But this bee flies throughout the California Floristic Province (W. of the Sierras) and is fairly common in S. California.   Xylocopa varipuncta lives where ever there is wood for nest-building.  In the wilds, this is most commonly in the lower elevation oak and riparian woodlands of California’s valleys and foothills.  But the species is also seen in urban gardens, particularly those with native plants.

The species Xylocopa varipuncta is the most sexually dimorphic of all the Xylocopa species.  You may have seen the males and females and believed them to be separate species.  Females are large (15-25 mm; ½ to 1 inch), shiny black bees.  They are relatively slow flyers, although they don’t spend long periods on individual flowers.  But if you wait patiently, you can get good pictures of this large bee.

Female Valley Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa varipuncta)

 

The female Xylocopa varipuncta looks like a large, black bumblebee with amber-colored wings.  The body color is black: black head, thorax, abdomen, legs and antennae.  The female body is shiny, but closer inspection shows that legs, thorax and posterior abdomen are actually quite hairy.  In fact, females can pick up quite a load of pollen, making them look superficially like a black and yellow bumblebee (see below).

 

Female Valley Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa varipuncta) on
 Arroyo Lupine.  Note yellow pollen.

 

Male Valley Carpenter Bees are smaller, very hairy and a striking golden brown color. They also have amazing pale green eyes - there is no other California bee like them.  They are sometimes called ‘Teddy Bear Bees’ because of their resemblance to the childhood toy.  In fact, the males can be aggressive to other bees, but are quite harmless to humans; only the females can sting (and then, usually only when you’re harassing them).
 

Male Valley Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa varipuncta)

Curious male Valley Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa varipuncta)

The males have been difficult for us to photograph.  They are shy creatures that are almost always in motion. We finally managed to photograph of one (above).  For more good photographs of both males and females, we recommend references 2, 3 and 4, below.

Like all of the Carpenter bees, Xylocopa varipuncta nests in cavities in wood. The females excavate the tunnels with their stout mandibles (jaws), usually choosing softer wood like willow or partly decomposing limbs, stumps or logs.  While not a ‘challenge’ species like the Eastern Carpenter Bees, in urban areas Xylocopa varipuncta sometimes nests in unpainted, untreated wood (like redwood posts).

It takes quite a strong bee to be able to chew through wood!   We recently drilled some ‘starter holes’ in a stump.  A female Carpenter bee has been eyeing them – perhaps she’ll stay?    There are so many places for cavity-dwelling bees to nest in a preserve like the Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve (where our gardens are located). 

Female Valley Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa varipuncta)
 checks potential nest site

 

Valley Carpenter bees overwinter as adults in these tunnels, emerging in the spring (our earliest photos in western Los Angeles County are from early January).  Then the females start to forage and the males start to cruise.  There is much work to be done in spring. First, mating must occur. And then the nesting cavities must be prepared and provisioned, all prior to egg laying.

Valley Carpenter Bees are adaptable.  If hollow-stemmed plants (like bamboo or Elderberry) are available, they create unbranched, linear nests in the stems.  If not, they create or enlarge branched nests in wood.  The branched nests usually contain 6-8 chambers; each will contain a single egg, as well as a supply of ‘bee bread’.  The ‘bee bread’ is a mixture of pollen and nectar made by the female.  It supplies food for the developing bee.

Like everything about Xylocopa varipuncta, their eggs are large (about ½ inch long or a little more; 12-15 mm).  The larvae develop in the nest, emerging as adults in late summer (usually August).   You can often see young adults nectaring in the summer and early fall garden.  The bees hibernate in the nest tunnels over winter, emerging again in the spring or late winter (as early as January in western Los Angeles County).

The mating behavior of Xylocopa varipuncta has been well-studied.  There are many fascinating aspects – more than we can discuss in this short posting.  We refer the interested reader to an excellent Wikipedia posting on the species [ref. 1].

As native plant gardeners, we encounter more insect species than do conventional gardeners.  This is a good thing; it in part explains why native plant gardens tend to be more productive and pest-free than other local gardens.  But, how do we evaluate – and explain to our neighbors – whether a particular insect is a pest or beneficial insect?   We suggest weighing the potential harms against the potential benefits.

The potential harms associated with the Valley Carpenter Bee are two: 1) nesting in wood structures; 2) stings.  Given the choice, Valley Carpenter Bees will choose to nest in dead limbs, trunks, stems and other natural sites, rather than in structural wood [5].  They particularly avoid painted or treated wood.  So, unless you have untreated pine, redwood or cedar, nesting is unlikely to be a problem with our western Carpenter Bees.  You might even want to provide a ‘bee house’ or pieces of logs as suitable alternative nesting places.   And as to the stings, the females are really pretty docile.  They’ll only sting to protect themselves; given the choice, they prefer to avoid you.

As to the services Valley Carpenter Bees provide?  We see at least three: 1) pollination; 2) recycling dead wood; 3) human enjoyment.  The second service is most important in natural settings. In Preserves, parks and other natural areas, cavity-builders help begin the process of breaking down old wood. This is an extremely important service – but not much observed in most gardens. 

Female Valley Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa varipuncta) pollinating
 Tansy phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia)

 

Valley Carpenter Bees are important and efficient pollinators.  They can regulate their body temperature [1], allowing them to fly in temperatures both cooler and warmer than other pollinators.  Their hairy bodies allow them to pick up plenty of pollen and transport it to other flowers. They are also capable of ‘buzz pollination’ – literally shaking pollen from the anthers by vibrating their flight muscles.

Studies have shown that Carpenter Bees are more effective pollinators than European Honeybees for such varied plants as Passion vine, cotton, tomatoes and melons.  So we should welcome them into our gardens, and provide them sources of nectar from early spring into fall.

 

 

Nectar is the primary source of food and water for adult Xylocopa varipuncta. Obtaining nectar is easy from many flowers.  But some good nectar sources (including Manzanitas, Penstemons and other tubular flowers) present a real challenge for large bees.  Nectar is located deep within the floral tube, accessible only to those small enough or possessing a long tongue. This ensures that only the right creatures – those who actually perform the service of pollination – can access the nectar.

 

Female Valley Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa varipuncta) -
'stealing' nectar from Manzanita

 

The Valley Carpenter gets around this problem by cutting a slit in the floral tube and ‘stealing’ the nectar, without picking up any pollen in the process (see photo above).  These bees even pierce nectar-less flowers, possibly obtaining water, minerals or other chemicals from the plant sap [6].   So yes, these guys can be (adorable) thieves!

 

And that brings us to the last benefit of Xylocopa varipuncta in the home garden; the enjoyment we get from watching these interesting creatures.  Carpenter bees are large enough for all to observe.  Even the very young and the octogenarian can enjoy their antics.  Many a future biologist has been enthralled by garden bees and other insects. 

In fact, there’s much still to be learned about these bee’s behaviors. That’s the wonderful thing about insects: they’re all around us, yet they remain surprisingly un-studied.  Perhaps you, your child or grandchild, sitting in your garden, will discover something important.  All you need is time, a pair of binoculars (or good eyesight) and a garden that provides for our native pollinators.  What a bargain!

 

 

Like this posting?  See our other insect posts at: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2016/07/insect-postings-mother-natures-backyard.html

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1.       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylocopa_varipuncta

2.       http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=21309

3.       http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/hymenopt/Xylocopa.htm

4.       https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/57687-Xylocopa-varipuncta/browse_photos

5.       http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=22898

6.       http://jhr.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=6427

 

We encourage your comments below.   If you have questions about Duskywing butterflies or other gardening topics you can e-mail us at :  mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com