Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Wildlife Wednesday March 2016

Wildlife Wednesday, sponsored by Tina at "My Gardener Says..." presents an opportunity for bloggers to gather up wildlife photos from the past month and share them all in one post.  For the first Wednesday of March my photos show that pollinators have been quite active in the garden the last few weeks.

With rosemary providing most of the blooms in the garden last month, it turned into quite the hot spot for pollinators.

Green Metallic Bee (Agapostemon), a type of sweat bee, shines bright on Rosemary Goriza flowers.


A beautiful wasp (ceratogastra ornata, I think) common to southwestern U.S.


Bee and Wasp together


Spotted Ladybeetle, didn't get close enough to count spots.


Honeybee working the Rosemary.


Buckeye butterfly enjoying damp gravel and a bit of camouflage in a low spot on the path after a rain.


Red Admiral Butterfly on the always popular Gomphrena 'Fireworks'.


Pipevine Swallowtail on Salvia 'Hot Lips'.


Monarch Butterflies have been with us all winter, this one was at the gardens where I volunteer each week.  They seem quite happy with our mild winter this year and, barring a late freeze, we should see quite a few as they make their way north this spring.


For every plant there is a pollinator.  Tiny fly on a just right tiny anemone.


Birds have made themselves scarce since a cat took up residence in the back yard so I keep an eye out when on the road.  I spotted a Roadrunner near Fredericksburg, Texas.  Interestingly, roadrunners are members of the cuckoo family.  Roadrunners are classified as Greater or Lesser depending on size.  Probably a Greater Roadrunner since the beak is so prominent.  One of the few animals that will prey on rattlesnakes, they are welcome in the garden.  Just like in the cartoons, their legs do appear to go around like wheels when they run fast!


That's the wildlife roundup from my garden, please join Tina at "My Gardener Says..." for more fascinating wildlife in gardens from faraway places.

11 comments:

  1. You do have lots of pollinators. They've finally decided to make an appearance in my garden in these past couple of days. That Metallica bee is a beauty. I find it so hard to identify the native bees. I'll look a pictures from this area and never am quite confident that what's visiting is that critter in the photo. Your road runner is a great guest. Gosh, it's been a long time since I've seen a road runner. Thanks for sharing, it's always good to have your participation, Shirley.

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  2. Your Road runner was a delight to see, over here we just know them from the cartoon, what a joy to have the real bird visit your garden Shirley. We've only seen the occasional pollinator so far, some early queen Bumbles and a few honey bees, our weather has been inconsistent and we are going through another period of colder weather. The wasp ceratogastra ornata is stunning, what beautiful markings.

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  3. Yay! Butterflies year-round! Now that would be special. No pollinators here yet, but I do have lady beetles. Tee hee. Every time I find one, I put it on my lemon tree in the sunroom. Might as well put it to work while it's visiting. ;-)

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  4. "Beautiful" isn't a description I'd generally associate with a wasp but I have to say, for a wasp, it is attractive. Perhaps I've never gotten close enough to appreciate their good qualities.

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  5. Hello..visiting from Wildlife Wednesday.. Love seeing all the pollinators in your photos. It will be a while to see any here in NY but my expanded native plant pollinator garden will be waiting..Michelle

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  6. I hope the cat moves on soon (unless it's yours!) and the birds can enjoy your garden as much the butterflies do.

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  7. Roadrunners are so cool! I have been seeing a lot of ladybugs this year...more than I usually do. It is so refreshing.

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  8. Hello chica! Long time no speak! Hope you are well.

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  9. Do road runners also make that beep beep sound like in the cartoon? cool wildlife in your garden! We won't see butterflies for quite a while yet.

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  10. Lucky you to have monarchs with you all winter....you always inspire me Shirley and I hope to pay better attention to my pollinators this year and document who is visiting this year!

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  11. I didn't realize roadrunners were so big! It would be amazing to see one in person. You have to respect any animal that will take on a rattlesnake!

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