https://universeodon.com/@MelsGarden/113176774066621662 MelsGarden@universeodon.com - This year's butterflies! 📷

[*see pin for 2023]

All of these were photographed by me in my small suburban garden.

43 species in total. So far, anyway. The Fall butterflies are currently migrating thru, so there's always a chance something new will turn up. But I wanted to go ahead & post this while I still had the chance.

2 are still missing from last year (Sleepy Orange & Orange-barred Sulphur).

1 was left off the grid (Red-Banded Hairstreak) bc, well, it's a grid & 43 didn't work lol.

Anyway, the point of this post is to show that biodiversity still exists. Climate doom & gloom can be demoralizing, but the butterflies are still here & every little bit you can do to support them matters. It doesn't take a fancy garden. Even just a few flowers on a patio can be a much-appreciated haven for pollinators.

Give them a reason & they will come. It's well worth it, I promise. 💚

#TexasGarden #Zone9b #butterflies #Lepidoptera #pollinators #biodiversity #NaturePhotography

Melanie (@MelsGarden@universeodon.com)

Attached: 1 image This year's butterflies! 📷 [*see pin for 2023] All of these were photographed by me in my small suburban garden. 43 species in total. So far, anyway. The Fall butterflies are currently migrating thru, so there's always a...

This is the last week of #summer but today is hot and #sunny and so the #pollinators are out doing their thing before it gets to damp and dark and the #flowers wither away. In the front #garden, one of the #plants attracts a lot of #bees and #hoverflies. Here are some pictures I took with my #camera using a #MacroLens.

I'm not sure whether this is a #Bee or a #HoverFly.

You can see the #PollenSacs on this #Bee.

#MyWork #MyPhoto #CCBYSA #DSLR #Nikon #D7000 #Macro #Horticulture

https://lor.sh/@Albatrossity/112198339633828329 Albatrossity@lor.sh - Spring has sprung here in Flyover Country. I saw four species of butterflies today. Here's one, a freshly eclosed Zebra Swallowtail.

#FlyoverCountry #Pollinators #Butterfly #Insect #Spring

Albatrossity (@Albatrossity@lor.sh)

Attached: 1 image Spring has sprung here in Flyover Country. I saw four species of butterflies today. Here's one, a freshly eclosed Zebra Swallowtail. #FlyoverCountry #Pollinators #Butterfly #Insect #Spring

Weatherwatch: how #SolarFarms benefit #bees and #butterflies | #Biodiversity | The Guardian

An unexpected benefit.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/mar/01/weatherwatch-how-solar-farms-benefit-bees-and-butterflies

#Biology #Ecology #Pollinators

#WingedWednesday #MyPhoto #MyWork #nature #pollinators #BloomScrolling

Honeybee gathering nectar from a Summer Poinsettia

#MilkweedMonday #Pollinators #MyPhoto #MyWork #nature #butterflies

The flowers are from an unrecognized milkweed: Honeyvine (Cynanchum laeve) but it's not just Monarch butterflies that are attracted to it--it's called HONEYvine for a reason.

(alt text = a Common Buckeye butterfly sips from Honeyvine flowers)

It's that time of the #year where I make a #calendar for the next one. I decided the theme for next year would be #pollinators. All #photographs are by me and were taken either in our front or back #garden. I suggest you print the pages double-sided and comb bind them so that you can hang it up. Hope you like the pictures. You don't? Well never mind, you can print out just the months instead.

You can download the calendar here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CxmS099Xw0LbO29Ocvy6NLOP5zL9HbSX/view?usp=drive_link

Here are some reduced-resolution preview images.

#MyWork #MyPhoto #CCBYSA #DSLR #Nikon #D7000 #Horticulture #Insects #2024 #Cal24

It's bright and #sunny today and a quick stroll through the #garden shows it's full of life.

The #grapes are ripening and there's a good crop this year..

Of course, not just the #fruit but the #vine #leaves are also edible in dishes like dolmades which I find particularly good for digestion.

On the other side, the #RunnerBean #plants are #flowering and are being frequented by many #pollinators such as this #bee.

#MyWork #MyPhotot #CCBYSA #DSLR #Nikon #D7000 #Horticulture #Summer #Flowers #Insects

Today's model is a #Bumblebee on #Allium #Flowers. The flowers are attracting a steady stream of #Pollinators

This cropped image is not at full resolution as that would be bigger than my screen but it's nice to get a sharp image of the subject.

Moments later it flew onto another plant and I got this nice shot of it. Once again, the image is cropped.

#MyWork #MyPhoto #CCBYSA #DSLR #Nikon #D7000 #Macrophotography #Horticulture #Summer #Insects

#Bumblebees are visiting the #allium #flowers quite frequently today as it's dry again. It's still quite #breezy and the stalks are swaying quite a bit in the #wind.

#MyWork #MyPhoto #CCBYSA #DSLR #Nikon #D7000 #Summer #Insects #Pollinators #Horticulture

A #hoverfly on the #flower of an #allium plant.

#MyWork #MyPhoto #CCBYSA #DSLR #Nikon #D7000 #Summer #Horticulture #Insects #Pollinators #MacroPhotography

A #bee visits a #flower of a #blackberry bush.

#MyWork #MyPhoto #CCBYSA #DSLR #Nikon #D7000 #Summer #Horticulture #Insects #Pollinators #MacroPhotography

The #pollinators have done their job with the #apple #tree. There are now many nascent #fruit on it clumped in groups of about four to five. Here's a close up of one.

Elsewhere, the #potato #plants are flowering. Maybe you don't associate nice #flowers with a food plant but I think these look rather pretty.

#MyWork #MyPhoto #CCBYSA #DSLR #Nikon #D7000 #MacroPhotography #Spring #Horticulture

News You Can Use: Attracting Pollinators
Denise Ellsworth, CFAES's program director for honey bee and native pollinator education, offers tips in this new video about how to attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPXfjyyHPbg&t=3s

#Save #Pollinators #Attract #bees #butterflies #hummingbirds

The #Apple #Tree is producing many #blossoms this year and so, with luck we'll have plenty of #fruit come the end of #summer and #autumn. I hope the local #pollinators will get their just desserts for their efforts.

#MyWork #MyPhoto #CCBYSA #DSLR #Nikon #D7000 #Spring #Horticulture #MacroPhotography

A couple of #dandelion #flowers in the front #garden. This first one is seen slightly #obliquely. It's also fully open in the bright #sunshine today.

This second one is seen almost from #RightAngle. This one seems to be offering #pollen and so is ready to accept #pollinators with an appropriate reward.

#MyWork #MyPhoto #CCBYSA #DSLR #Nikon #D7000 #Spring #MacroPhotography

Bees. Fascinating article.

‘Fringe’ research suggests the insects that are essential to agriculture have emotions, dreams and even PTSD, raising complex ethical questions

#bees #honey #pollinators #sentience

Neonics under fire | Pesticide Action Network

Over the last two decades, neonicotinoid pesticides, or neonics, have swiftly become the most widely used class of insecticides globally. And you’ve heard from PAN and our partners countless times about the dangers these chemicals pose to the wild pollinators and honeybees our food system relies on.
https://www.panna.org/blog/neonics-under-fire

#Pesticides #Kill #Pollinators #Honeybees #Food-System

Neonics under fire | Pesticide Action Network

Over the last two decades, neonicotinoid pesticides, or neonics, have swiftly become the most widely used class of insecticides globally. And you’ve heard from PAN and our partners countless times about the dangers these chemicals pose to the wild pollinators and honeybees our food system relies on.
https://www.panna.org/blog/neonics-under-fire

#Pesticides #Kill #Pollinators #Honeybees #Food-System

The #pollinators are still doing their job. Here is a #hoverfly and a #bee out in the #morning #sunshine. The #flowers are of #rocket #plants.

#MyWork #MyPhoto #CCBYSA #DSLR #Nikon #D7000 #Summer #Horticulture