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Hedgerow Hairstreaks and other butterflies on a steep, sandstone hillside slope lined with Manzanita, Chamise, and Salvia, off Pine Canyon Rd.

Link to Arctostaphylos (Manzanita) host plant: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/219562570

Hedgerow Hairstreak (Satyrium saepium) is a small, native, common butterfly in the Gossamer-winged Butterflies (Lycaenidae) family with a wingspan of 1.0-1.25 inches. It has one flight per year, May-August. It is found in chaparral, forest edges and openings, and occasionally in coastal shrub. Larval food plants are Ceanothus. Adult nectaring favorites include Buckbrush, California Buckeye, Thistles, Buckwheats, Yerba Santa, Chamise, and Coffeeberry. There are several subspecies with resulting color variations.

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, by Chris Tenney, pp. 60-61.

Butterflies of San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions: A Field Guide, pp. 133-134, plate 11.

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BUTTERFLY and CATERPILLAR (Annotated References):

In California, there are about 240 species of butterflies. There are more than 3,000 species of MOTHS, which represent 4 suborders in about 50 families. Butterflies have clubbed antennae, moths do not. Many moths are nocturnal, but not all.

Field Guide to California Insects, by Kip Will, J. Gross, D. Rubinoff , J. Powell, 2nd ed., 2020 (Lepidoptera, pp. 347-426)

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, by Chris Tenney and photograher Jan Austin, August 2023 and companion website: https://www.montereybutterflies.online/

Glossary of Butterfly (and Moth) Terminology: https://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/resources/glossary

Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions: A Field Guide, Arthur M. Shapiro and Timothy D. Manolis, 2007

Law's Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada, John Muir Laws, California Academy of Sciences, 2007

eButterfly: (2115+ species) https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/observations/explore

BugGuide: Butterflies and Moths (U.S. and Canada) clickable categories or use search bar: https://bugguide.net/node/view/57

Butterfly Wing Areas and Body Parts (diagram)
Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, p. 40.

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species_search

Butterflies of Central and Northern California, a laminated pamphlet (guide to common and notable species) by Jim Brock, 2023

Caterpillar Anatomy diagram and Butterfly Basics: https://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/activities/printouts/caterpillarprintout.shtml Life Cycle of a Butterfly: Egg --> Larva (the caterpillar) --> Pupa (the chrysalis or cocoon) --> Adult.

Caterpillars: INaturalist Project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-caterpillars

MALE
Orioles are usually seen in the vicinity of tall palm trees because they weave their nests behind the dead palm fronds. There are several tall palm trees in the neighborhood.

Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus) is a migratory perching bird in the New World Blackbirds and Orioles (Icteridae) family. It is long and slender with a long and slightly decurved bill. Both sexes have white bars on black wings. Breeding males are more orange or orange-yellow than females. Males have a black bib, that appears oval when viewed from the front. They seem to enjoy visiting hummingbird feeders. They also enjoy the nectar of sliced oranges attached to feeders.
Hooded Orioles are sometimes called "Palm-leaf Orioles," because they "sew" their hanging nests onto the undersides of palm fronds. These nests are almost never visible from below. That’s why old palm fronds should never be cut down from the palm trees--to help preserve Oriole habitat.

Ebird with species description, range map and sound recordings: https://ebird.org/species/hooori/

Xeno-canto Bird songs, sound recordings, and species range map:
https://xeno-canto.org/species/Icterus-cucullatus

Audubon Guide to North American Birds https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/hooded-oriole

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 7th ed., 2017. pp. 540-541, 575.

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 2008, pp. 396-397.

Monterey Birds, Don Roberson, 2nd ed. 2002, sponsored by Monterey Peninsula Audubon Society. p. 458.

The Cornell Lab (Birds in U.S. and Canada) https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Oriole

Compare to Scott's Oriole (Icterus parisorum): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/199062614

Merlin Bird ID (great app available for Iphones) by The Cornell Lab (Bird ID help for 8,500+ species) https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/

Comprehensive Feather I.D. tools and more: https://foundfeathers.org/resources/

Found Feathers (Worldwide): https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/idtool.php

BABIES!!! 1 set in 2 yrs! I saw this pair earlier hanging around in my south east bay, so I didn't go out in the canoe, not wanting to disturb them, 5 little ones! This is a new pair that decided to nest in close this year. All told I had 3 pairs in my bay this spring. :)

Western Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris) A.k.a. Tiger Whiptail. Native lizard in the Teiidae family that is found in a variety of habitats, including mountainous chaparral, deserts, and semi-arid shrubland. It lives in underground burrows. Skin is much smoother than Blue-belly lizards (Spiny Lizards (Sceloporus) genus).
"Aspidoscelis tigris as a species is 2 3/8 - 5 inches inches long snout to vent (6 - 12.7 cm), up to around 13 inches (33 cm) total length.
Appearance: A slim-bodied lizard with a long slender tail, a pointed snout, and large symmetrical head plates.Scales on the back are small and granular, and scales on the tail are keeled. The belly is made of large, smooth, rectangular scales in 8 lengthwise rows. The tail can reach up to two times the length of the body. The back and sides are gray, tan, or brown, marked with dark spots or bars or mottling, which is often very sharply defined. Dark marks on the side don't form vertical bars. Usually 8 faint light brown stripes are present, but stripes on the side are sometimes indistinct. The throat is pale with with large black spots. Often there are reddish patches on the sides of the belly. The tail tip is dark or bluish."
There are several subspecies in California.

Californiaherps: https://californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/a.t.munda.html

California Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris munda) is generally found north of the Channel Islands.

Range maps for this subspecies: https://californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/a.t.munda.html

HerpMapper https://www.herpmapper.org/taxon/Aspidoscelis_tigris

The Reptile Database https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Aspidoscelis&species=tigris

Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California: https://californiaherps.com

There were many Gray Buckeye butterflies stopping to rest along the sandy trail. When approached from behind, the Gray Buckeye sometimes folds up its wings to display a “Predator Face.” Here's the closest I've come to catching that pose: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/218038685

Gray Buckeye (Junonia grisea) is a medium-large butterfly in the True Brushfoots (Nymphalidae) family. A.k.a. Peacock Butterfly, Grey Buckeye, or Western buckeye. It is found in North America, west of the Rocky Mountains. Like the common buckeye, the gray buckeye is a brown butterfly with eyespots on its wings that distract predators from its body. It has a characteristic flight of gliding between wing flaps. Larval food plants: Plantains, Snapdragons, Monkeyflowers, and others.
Gray Buckeye sometimes partly closes it's wing to make a "Predator Face" to scare off potential predators from behind. The photo I saw of that behavior looked like a "cat" face.

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, Chris Tenney and Jan Austin, August 2023, pp. 142-143. and companion website to this field guide: https://www.montereybutterflies.online/

Bug photographs from the U.S/Canada for I.D: https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Junonia+grisea

eButterfly: https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/species/profile/17159

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, p. 190-191.

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/junonia-grisea

Butterflies & Their Favorite Flowering Plants: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park & Environs, Lynn and Gene Monroe, 2004, p. 80.

Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America. Brock and Kaufman, 2003, pp. 206-207.

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BUTTERFLY and CATERPILLAR (Annotated References):

In California, there are about 240 species of butterflies. There are more than 3,000 species of MOTHS, which represent 4 suborders in about 50 families. Butterflies have clubbed antennae, moths do not. Many moths are nocturnal, but not all.

Field Guide to California Insects, by Kip Will, J. Gross, D. Rubinoff , J. Powell, 2nd ed., 2020 (Lepidoptera, pp. 347-426)

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, by Chris Tenney and photograher Jan Austin, August 2023 and companion website: https://www.montereybutterflies.online/

Glossary of Butterfly (and Moth) Terminology: https://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/resources/glossary

eButterfly: (2115+ species) https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/observations/explore

BugGuide: Butterflies and Moths (U.S. and Canada) clickable categories or use search bar: https://bugguide.net/node/view/57

Butterfly Wing Areas and Body Parts (diagram)
Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, p. 40.

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species_search

Butterflies of Central and Northern California, a laminated pamphlet (guide to common and notable species) by Jim Brock, 2023

Caterpillar Anatomy diagram and Butterfly Basics: https://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/activities/printouts/caterpillarprintout.shtml Life Cycle of a Butterfly: Egg --> Larva (the caterpillar) --> Pupa (the chrysalis or cocoon) --> Adult.

Caterpillars: INaturalist Project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-caterpillars

Variable Checkerspot butterfly Golden Yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum) A.k.a. Yellow Yarrow blossoms. These Checkerspots have such photogenic little faces and they usually stay in one place for an extended time so it’s easier to get their photo.

Link to my favorite adult Variable Checkerspot nectaring with tongue extended: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/209000095
Link to observation of Variable Checkerspot caterpillars on Orange Bush Monkeyflower plant: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/107807408

Variable Checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona) is a medium-size butterfly in the Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae) family with a wingspan of 1.5-2 inches. The antennae are always orange, including the club. It's wing appearance is "variable," dependent on subspecies (and there are many ssp.) It has one flight March-July. It is found in open areas in oak woodland and chaparral, often along trails. Larval food plants include monkeyflowers and Paintbrush (Castilleja). It is a puddler.

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, by Chris Tenney and photograher Jan Austin, August 2023, pp. 118-119.

eButterfly: https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/species/profile/247

Link to observation of caterpillars on Orange Bush Monkeyflower plant: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/107807408
My favorite photo/observation of Variable Checkerspot face: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/112100146 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/75128788

Butterflies Through Binoculars: pp. 170-173.

Butterflies and Moths of North America: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Euphydryas-chalcedona

BugGuide: https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Euphydryas+chalcedona

Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America. Brock and Kaufman, 2003, pp. 194-195.

Butterflies & Their Favorite Flowering Plants: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park & Environs, Lynn and Gene Monroe, 2004, p. 73.

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BUTTERFLY and CATERPILLAR (Annotated References):

In California, there are about 240 species of butterflies. There are more than 3,000 species of MOTHS, which represent 4 suborders in about 50 families. Butterflies have clubbed antennae, moths do not. Many moths are nocturnal, but not all.

Field Guide to California Insects, by Kip Will, J. Gross, D. Rubinoff , J. Powell, 2nd ed., 2020 (Lepidoptera, pp. 347-426)

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, by Chris Tenney and photograher Jan Austin, August 2023 and companion website: https://www.montereybutterflies.online/

Glossary of Butterfly (and Moth) Terminology: https://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/resources/glossary

eButterfly: (2115+ species) https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/observations/explore

BugGuide: Butterflies and Moths (U.S. and Canada) clickable categories or use search bar: https://bugguide.net/node/view/57

Butterfly Wing Areas and Body Parts (diagram)
Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, p. 40.

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species_search

Butterflies of Central and Northern California, a laminated pamphlet (guide to common and notable species) by Jim Brock, 2023

Caterpillar Anatomy diagram and Butterfly Basics: https://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/activities/printouts/caterpillarprintout.shtml Life Cycle of a Butterfly: Egg --> Larva (the caterpillar) --> Pupa (the chrysalis or cocoon) --> Adult.

Caterpillars: INaturalist Project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-caterpillars

Wow, I woke up this morning and saw a Ground Squirrel in our backyard for the first time ever. But he was in a garden bed "checking the digs out". He must have just been out exploring for new territory, or he could be living in our firewood pile too. We can share the garden with him for awhile, but if he starts digging tunnels and holes and burrows, then I will have to trap him, and release him somewhere else away from the houses.
He might have been caught and eaten by a Gray Fox (www.inaturalist.org/observations/218267186) in our neighborhood.

Photo 1- Note the Desert Black Swallowtail larvae dropped by the Scrub-Jay, which is about to be eaten.
Photos 2 & 3- Eating the larvae, including banging it against the boulder.
Photo 4- Back with another larvae, tucked under its left foot.
Photo 5- Back a third time to the Turpentine Broom, which is the host plant of the Desert Black Swallowtail.
Photo 6- Gotcha!

Monster flight with 30-odd seen today with many at nectar. This particular canyon notch had lots of nectar plants and lots of loki. Coordinates 33.574444, -116.423333 on the Cactus Spring Trail 5E01 of the Santa Rosa Mtns. in Pinyon Pines, CA.

Every year for the past 15 or more years, a pair of Oak Titmouse (or is it Titmice for plural ??) have nested in this bird house in our backyard. Here are photos of the 2024 Spring adult Oak Titmouse parents entering (they were so darn fast - lots of bird butt photos) and exiting (sometimes with hatchling poop waste) from the bird house today. Maybe in a few days I will try to get a photo or two of the hatchlings ......... I tried unsuccessfully today - I didn't want to disturb them too much (second to last photo).
The last photo of two very young Oak Titmouse hatchlings in the same bird house is from April 18, 2008.