Posts Tagged: Tithonia

What's Not to Love About 'Boys' Night Out'?

We look forward to "The Boys' Night Out." Ah, pillow fights, popcorn, and marathon movies on TV, you ask? No. "Boys' Night Out" is when the longhorned male bees in our pollinator garden in Vacaville engage in sleepovers on our Mexican sunflowers...

Longhorned bees--Melissodes (possibly M. robustior) slumbering on a Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Longhorned bees--Melissodes (possibly M. robustior) slumbering on a Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Is it time to wake up? Two male longhorned bees eye the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Is it time to wake up? Two male longhorned bees eye the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male longhorned bee, Melissodes, prepares to leave his "bedroom," a Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male longhorned bee, Melissodes, prepares to leave his "bedroom," a Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This male longhorned bee is sleeping alone on a Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This male longhorned bee is sleeping alone on a Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Itsy Bitsy Spider

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain and the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.--Nursery Rhyme It was an itsy bitsy spider. But it wasn't...

Yes, we can see you. A crab spider on Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Yes, we can see you. A crab spider on Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The crab spider ventures out on a petal of the Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The crab spider ventures out on a petal of the Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A perfectly camouflaged crab spider on a gold coin flower (Asteriscus maritimus). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A perfectly camouflaged crab spider on a gold coin flower (Asteriscus maritimus). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Sorry, This Blossom Is Taken

So here's this male longhorned bee (Svastra) sipping a little nectar from a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). As the late Mr. Rogers (1928-2003), star of the TV show, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," so often proclaimed:  "It's a beautiful day in the...

A male Svastra dive-bombs another male on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). This image was taken with a fast shutter speed of 1/3200 of a second. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male Svastra dive-bombs another male on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). This image was taken with a fast shutter speed of 1/3200 of a second. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Following the dive-bombing, the male Svastra kept occupying the blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Following the dive-bombing, the male Svastra kept occupying the blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Year 2017: 'Survival of the Flittest'

How would you describe the year 2017? Survival of the fittest? In the insect world, it's more like "survival of the flittest." If you've ever pulled up a chair in a pollinator garden and sat back and observed all the activity, sometimes it's like road...

Have you ever seen a male long-horned bee (Melissodes agilis) doing a protective fly-by, trying to save a food source for the female of his species? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Have you ever seen a male long-horned bee (Melissodes agilis) doing a protective fly-by, trying to save a food source for the female of his species? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Have you ever seen a male long-horned bee (Melissodes agilis) challenging a Western tiger swallowtail seeking nectar from a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia)?(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Have you ever seen a male long-horned bee (Melissodes agilis) challenging a Western tiger swallowtail seeking nectar from a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia)?(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Have you ever seen a Melissodes agilis targeting a Western tiger swallowtail? A tiger by the tail? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Have you ever seen a Melissodes agilis targeting a Western tiger swallowtail? A tiger by the tail? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Have you ever seen a syrphid fly targeting a honeydew-laden lady beetle, aka ladybug, on a rose? This is an Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis) and a syrphid fly, a Scaeva pyrastri, according to Martin Hauser of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Have you ever seen a syrphid fly targeting a honeydew-laden lady beetle, aka ladybug, on a rose? This is an Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis) and a syrphid fly, a Scaeva pyrastri, according to Martin Hauser of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Have you ever seen a honey bee and bumble bee racing for the nectar on catmint (Nepeta)? The bumble bee is a Bombus melanopygus.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Have you ever seen a honey bee and bumble bee racing for the nectar on catmint (Nepeta)? The bumble bee is a Bombus melanopygus.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Musical Flowers: Jockeying for Position

You've heard of "musical chairs," that anxiety-driven elimination game involving chairs, music and players.  When the music stops and a chair is eliminated, the players race for the remaining seats. No one wants to be the first loser. Well,...

A black syrphid fly aims for the same Mexican sunflower, occupied by another syprhid fly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A black syrphid fly aims for the same Mexican sunflower, occupied by another syprhid fly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

I'm outta here! The hover fly (probably Eristalis tenax) lifts off. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

I'm outta here! The hover fly (probably Eristalis tenax) lifts off. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Not giving up and still jockeying for position, the two hover flies try to claim the same flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Not giving up and still jockeying for position, the two hover flies try to claim the same flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ah, all mine. A black hover fly or Mexican cactus fly claims a Tithonia blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ah, all mine. A black hover fly or Mexican cactus fly claims a Tithonia blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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