Posts Tagged: passionflower vine
Gulf Fritillaries: Passion Makes Perfect

No wall can separate a Gulf Fritillary from its host plant, the passionflower vine (Passiflora). The Gulf Frit Agraulis vanillae), an orangish-reddish butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, fluttered over our six-foot fence, heading straight for the...
California Wild Fires Raging...but Life Cycles Go On...

As those horrendous wild fires continue to rage throughout California, as Cal Fire helicopters roar over, as residents scramble from their homes, as smoke thickens the air, and as ashes flutter down like feathers, it's difficult to think about...
Pardon Me, Is This My Best Side?

She's easy to find. A European praying mantis, Mantis religiosa, hangs out in our passionflower vine, Passiflora, the host plant of the Gulf Fritillary butterfly. Mantis religiosa is an introduced species, that is, non-native. We introduce...
Pollen Power

The conversation usually starts like this: "I saw this huge, huge bumble bee with yellow on its back. It was buzzing like crazy." Often it's not a bumble bee, but the Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, that's been foraging on the blooms...
They Didn't Get the Memo

They didn't get the memo. Summer is over. Fall is underway. Winter is coming (Dec. 21). But the Gulf Fritillaries (Agraulis vanillae) are still laying eggs on the passionflower vine here in Vacaville, Calif. The eggs are hatching. The caterpillars are...