Thursday, June 18, 2015

In Flight

Is this a natural fluctuation or a sign of a problem?  I live in my small world and only see things by comparing season to season and forgetting information at the far end.  I do not have actual data over decades, but even if I did, it would only be anecdotal as my small part of the environment.  Summer is here and I think I am seeing a few honeybees.  In the past I have had a huge collection of pollinators, but never honeybees!  (Below is a bumblebee.)



I have lost my bluebirds.  Not a one, when I had half a dozen last year!

Butterflies...zebra swallowtails because I have a couple of paw paw trees for larval food. 


The odd skipper or two and a sulfur and yesterday my first fritillary butterfly.  Waiting always for the rare Monarchs!




My butterfly weed plants are huge this year, so I do have my hopes up that Monarch will come for the feast...


A few facts thatt may be of interest:  butterflies have been around at least as long as 3.500 years;  some, like the Monarchs, can fly 2,000 miles;  9-10 months is the longest lifetime of a butterfly;  many butterflies can taste with their feet and thus know whether the leaf is a good one on which to lay their eggs; and top flight speed is 12 miles per hour!

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6 comments:

  1. Kat4:38 PM

    Well, I do know that all the gmo crops are affecting bees. Thousands of bees have died off where gmo crops were grown. Coincidence? I think not. If we don't get rid of that crap we are all in serious trouble.
    As for all the other creatures, I don't know if they are as greatly affected or if they go through up and down years in population.
    Lovely pictures!

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  2. Mage5:47 PM

    Love the shots.
    I am so afraid for the Monarchs. So much of their areas are gone now.

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  3. messymimi8:02 PM

    We get bees in the clover, and a few butterflies, but i don't garden so i'm not particularly looking for them. Now i'm going to be looking out more to see if i notice any at all around here.

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  4. Red8:03 PM

    I'm glad thee are people like you who know butterflies and can tell if they are common or scarce.

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  5. Celia11:14 AM

    Great pictures! We live in a farming community and while the lack of honeybees is growing no on seems to be willing to give up the junk they spray on everything that kills them. The orchardists are becoming more active though. Our streams are so polluted that we are in a rescue mode to bring back the fish. No one with any sense lets their kids play in the cricks and streams. It's sad.

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  6. ellen abbott9:42 AM

    I'm seeing more honeybees this year than last. I'm trying to put in more butterfly attracting blooming perennials. i put in a passion flower vine for swallowtails but it won't bloom til next year.

    ReplyDelete

Glad to hear from you once again. I really like these visits. Come sit on this log and tell me what you are thinking.

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