Last Day of Camp; Great Sights

The milkweed patch was great yesterday. All five local species were plentiful and the Narrow-leaf Milkweed played host to many interesting bugs. The highlight of our walk was a patch where the Monarch Butterflies were present in all stages of their life cycle. My favorite photo is on top. A Monarch caterpillar appeared to be investigating a chrysalis that was nearly ready to open. You can see the orange and black pattern of the butterfly through the translucent skin. The adult butterflies were too skittish to photograph. I couldn't get close, but I enjoyed their courtship flights and their quick landings and take-offs all around me. The only one I got close to was newly "born" and was in the process of pumping up its wings for the first time. On the many milkweeds in the area we saw grasshoppers, bees, beetles, and spiders. The purple milkweeds already had seedpods, many of which were almost dry enough to burst open. The showy milkweeds that bloomed profusely a couple of weeks ago had been grazed. Virtually all of their flower clusters had been eaten so there won't be many seed pods from this patch this year. The two local species of Apocynum were making seeds. No bugs this time.
Besides the milkweed show, there were lots of Western Fence Lizards and Sagebrush Lizards scurrying about, and the usual array of late summer flowers that I've featured here before: Chicory, Arnica, Brewer's Angelica, and Pennyroyal. The dense patches of Pennyroyal have been blooming for several weeks and I've been anticipating the arrival of the Red-shouldered Ctenucha Moths. So far, I've seen two fly by, but no dense gatherings like I saw last summer. In a wet area by Gilson Creek I saw Brooklime, Veronica americana (Next to last photo). Last, I found the gathering of yellow aphids on the milkweeds quite beautiful, even though they are the nemesis of gardeners. The ones on Narrow-leaf Milkweed didn't seem to be doing any damage. Later today I'll have a few more photos from this last nature hike of the season - that is, at Oakland Feather River Camp. There will be others in store if you sign up for my Adventures in Nature Journaling at FRC. It begins Saturday, September 10. E.mail me or contact Lisa Kelly at the college for details.