The California THistle is the only prominent wildflower I'm seeing on my local walks. Most of the daisies have shriveled up and/or gone to seed. The few that still look fresh to the casual observer have quit producing nectar or fragrance, so bugs are not landing on them. August usually features a variety of yellow flowers. The late-season bloomers include St. John's Wort, Bitter Brush, and Goldenrod, but I'm seeing very few of these compared to past years. Fortunately, for one who loves the pairing of flowers and bugs, the thistles are still active. Above is a California Crescent, a new species to me. I think earlier careless observations had me thinking these were Fritillaries or Checkerspots Glad to add a new one to my "life list."
I really like to watch the Skippers (below), especially when their tongues are clearly in view. Most summers I see these in abundance on Bitterbrush, but not this year.
Last, another angle of view of a Skipper plus some kind of bee. THey apparently do not mind each other's company. We still have most of August to go. I hope there will still be signs of life.
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