It seems to have been a good year for Pale Swallowtail butterflies, as there has been numerous sightings of them. Andi Kahn recently sent in this photo of one.
It looks like its feeding on a butterfly bush. Another butterfly seen recently is California Sister. Gail Eddy took this photo several years ago, but I saw several just yesterday.
Thanks to Andi and Gail for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
There were some 1,500 Gray whale calves born this year off of Baja California. The mother/calf pairs are passing by now, and will continue well into June. Gail Eddy was ready with her camera when a Gray Whale calf breached.
A Gray Whale mother will only have one calf per year. They are swimming northward now, heading to their feeding grounds in the Bering Sea. To see them brings many of us great joy.
Thanks to Gail for allowing me to share her photo with you here.
Autumn is a good time to see several species of Butterflies. One of them is the beautiful California Sister, Adelpha californica. Gail Eddy recently photographed one in her garden in Gualala.
The photo below was taken by Robert Scarola and lets you see this butterfly with its wings fully extended.
This butterfly is only found on the west coast - in Oregon, western Nevada, Baja California and, of course, California, where they are most likely to be seen. The host plants for the eggs of California Sister Butterflies are Oaks. An interesting fact is that this diet makes them unpalatable to predators.
Thanks to Gail and Robert for allowing me to share their photos with you here.