#nativebees #pollinators #pollinatorfriendly

#lepidoptera #butterflies

Hah! I talk about this concept a lot, too! I've had many such instances myself, but it's usually more like "I only thought there were two or three species of <organism>" but then I come to learn there are hundreds!

Margo and the CFMC's partnerships with CalFire, Nature Conservancy, and other organizations demonstrate what can be done with perseverance, science, and traditional ecological knowledge.

You can find this episode on any podcast app - look for "Nature's Archive".

Here's an Eastern Cottontail I saw last summer, for comparison.

I wrote about this further in my monthly Nature's Archive newsletter, which you can subscribe to at naturesarchive.com/contact/

I'm always extra excited when I find insects with obligate relationships with native plants because these insects are the foundation of the food web.

Insects like these convert photosynthesized energy to forms that spiders, birds, and other animals can use. It's nature's life support system.

It happily meandered onto my finger as I was manipulating the leaves to get better photos.

I've seen a few lace bugs in the wild (different species, which depend on different plants), but this is a first for my yard.