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| Pipevine Swallowtail, SF Botanical Garden |
Numerous pipevine swallowtails were going nuts laying eggs last week when my wife and I walked past the above patch of sparsely growing pipevine plants in the botanical garden. Naturally, I did not have a camera with me. I went back this morning to try to catch them in action again, but it wasn't happening. In fact, I even saw two small swallowtail caterpillars already munching on pipevine leaves, evidence that some of the eggs have already hatched (incubation takes 4-10 days).
Next I checked up on the great blue heron nests at Blue Heron Lake and was surprised to find one with two young chicks in it. I might not have spotted the tiny critters at all if not for an observant woman with binoculars who pointed them out.
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| I arrived at the Botanical Garden so early that dew was still on the flowers and the butterflies were still layed up somewhere. |
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| As I walked around the garden I eventually began to see some of the pipevine swallowtails fluttering around. |
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| I also noticed that some naughty creature had been munching on nopalitos in the Succulent Garden. |
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| Umber Skipper Sunning on Wild Rose |
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| This guy just clung to the tree with its wings folded up, making it very nicely camouflaged. |
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| Every now and then the red admiral would reveal itself by opening its wings to catch a little sunshine. |
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| Monarch With Tattered Wings |
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| Variable Checkerspot |
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| Variable Checkerspot on Rose |
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| Variable Checkerspot on Pipevine |
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| Litte Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillars |
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| Going Up! |
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| Double-crested Cormorant Airing Its Wings at Blue Heron Lake |
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| If you look closely you can see one of the two youngsters beneath the adult on the right. |
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| The adult on the left soon absconded, maybe to find lunch for the chicks. |
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| Two chicks look around on a hot day, reportedly 76 degrees, with little opportunity for shade. As I was leaving, the adult held its wings out somewhat to cool itself (as in this picture from 3/18) and provide a little respite for the chicks. |
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| Black-crowned Night Heron |
I noticed the Casting Pools being drained and scrubbed clean last week, and yesterday the pool area was being used to shoot a skateboarding video.
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