Sunday, August 19, 2007
By Scott Shalaway
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| Charlie Neibergall, Associated Press It’s been a good year for monarch butterflies as they prepare for their long journey to Mexico. Click photo for larger image. |
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It’s been a banner year for hummingbirds and butterflies on the ridge. They’re draining the nectar feeders twice a day.
I’ve written about hummingbirds several times, so suffice to say that the clouds of nectar sippers I described earlier in the summer have become thunderheads of hummingbirds. They’re draining the nectar feeders twice a day.
Butterfly numbers have shown a similar pattern this summer. Tiger swallowtails, fritillaries and skippers have decorated the yard since June. In July, pipevine swallowtail caterpillars emerged en masse. Over the course of four weeks, they consumed half the biomass of the volleyball-sized pipevine leaves. full story
