FINALLY! Milkweeds coming up!
It started with one Asclepias tuberosa (Butterflyweed to you) peeking up a couple weeks ago, but now it's being joined by others, so I'll start looking for Monarch butterflies too. Here's a pic of a vine that is in fact a milkweed Monarchs will eat but because it's not directly in the Asclepias group, it's overlooked and underutilized and pulled up too damn often.
Honeyvine (Cynanchum laeve). Not all milkweeds are Asclepias, especially if they're vines. See also the Matelea group.
#milkweed #monarch #butterfly
#Trump
#HashtagGames
#SiblingAShowOrBook
Siblings separated at birth is a fairly common theme in literature and light opera; The Gondoliers (Gilbert & Sullivan) case in point. But I'm gonna throw out there a title from India which made it to the big screen: Bees Saal Baad.
The thing is, I found out about this story from a now-antiquated Flash arcade game of the same name...
#HashtagGames
#SignsYouAreAddictedToVegetables
You can't wait to get that seed catalog in the mail and it's January.
Yeah, it says on it "not legal tender" but if you throw this baby on the scanner, it'll refuse because the scanner thinks it's real money. A good question would be, how does he get that kind of paper to print this kind of thing, hm? BTW the backside will scan just fine.
#MilkweedMonday #nature #myphoto #mywork
Autumn shot of Swamp Milkweed with red leaves in front of lush green background of Honeyvine Milkweed.
#HashTagGames
#DeepThoughtsOfSpringBirds
I know I've got a big one and I know I'm green but that doesn't mean I'm related to Beakman.
#SwallowtailSunday #GiantSwallowtail #SilentSunday #nature #butterfly
Getting used to being out of the chrysalis, this Giant decides to just sit and be simply adorable.
#Israel #Palestine #FaudaBase #genocide
Fauda Base's home website https://www.faudabase.com/ sports this pic among others:
#Israel #Palestine #FaudaBase #genocide
It's the Israeli idea of fun and said so last February:
https://www.levaharon.com/news/february-fun
#HashtagGames
#FictionalCharacterTakesCreditFor
Lucy takes credit for taking the football from Charlie and taking a nickel from Charlie when he consults Lucy for why they keep doing that.
Already started gardening season here but I'm in Oklahoma. Started up Tropical Milkweeds and I've been growing pot-friendly mini tomatoes all winter.
A Bordered Patch butterfly shares Butteflyweed nectar with a Pearl Crescent and a skipper.
#WingedWednesday #BloomScrolling #pollinator #nature
#MyPhoto #MyWork
Guess who's been stuffing his face full of pollen?
#WingedWednesday #BloomScrolling #pollinator #bee #nature
#MyPhoto #MyWork
An almost-Monarch. When you watch a Monarch egg at this stage, you can see the little one moving his black head around, flexing that egg shell, then you can see mandibles poking out, and then he comes out.
#MonarchMonday #MyPhoto #MyWork #nature #butterflies
(alt text = a nearly transparent Monarch egg with a black dot at its tip, which is the baby caterpillar's head)
When a caterpillar has eaten its last leaf, he puts a lot of work into prepping for That Big Change. They do an extensive walk-about first, but they're on a timer. If they haven't found the exact right spot they have to lay down a silk mat where ever they find themselves, build a silk button (some will lay down two buttons) then after about a day's worth of loosening that outside skin, pull themselves out of their prolegs (which then lose their grip on the silk) and they drop down into a J form.
#MonarchMonday #MyPhoto #MyWork #nature #butterflies
(Alt text = a large Monarch caterpillar hangs by just his two hind pro-legs grasping a silk button built on the underside of a Butterflyweed leaf)
Chinese Privet isn't native but Monarchs don't care because it's nectar rich. Also true of Dandelions and Henbit, so you'd be rendering vital assistance to remigrating Monarchs of last summer a vital service if you avoid mowing your lawns early in this year's season.
#MonarchMonday #MyPhoto #MyWork #nature #butterflies
(Alt text = a Monarch female flying near Chinese Privet blossoms looking for a meal)
This instance is rendering images a whole lot better this Tuesday, so resuming #MonarchMonday today, ha.
When Monarchs return from Mexco, they'll mostly be flying low to hunt for both nectar and emerging milkweeds because there won't be much of their life left and this is Job One.
#MonarchMonday #MyPhoto #MyWork #nature #butterflies
Alt text = Cartoon: a bunch of butterflies hold a big net to go after a butterfly catching man holding a butterfly net
#WingedWednesday #MyPhoto #MyWork #nature #pollinators #BloomScrolling
Honeybee gathering nectar from a Summer Poinsettia
