We are the Xylocopa, more commonly known as the carpenter bee. Xylocopa is a member of the Apidae family. Our relatives include our naturalized European cousin the honey bee, Apis mellifera and the Bombus species, common name bumblebee. By the way, A. mellifera will not sting unless its life or nest is threatened. The author… Continue reading Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa californica
Category: California Natives – Fauna
Praying Mantis: The Nymphs Hatch
In a recent post I wrote about a female praying mantis, probably of the species Stagmomantis limbata, that spent last summer stalking other insects from her camouflage perch on a balloon plant milkweed. In late summer, when she was about four inches long, this formidable apex predator among insects produced an ootheca, an egg case… Continue reading Praying Mantis: The Nymphs Hatch
Bumble Bees, Honey Bees and Milkweed
“Trees remind us how busy and unstable we are, and how ridiculous that is.” —Rebecca Solnit, A Childhood of Reading and Wandering “Imagine your whole life in a few months, everything accelerated. We must seem as slow as a tree to them.” —Bert Wilson, Yellow-Faced Bumble Bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) As I child I feared all stinging… Continue reading Bumble Bees, Honey Bees and Milkweed
Our Closest Neighbors Are Birds
Several avian neighbors regularly flout our home owners association rules by installing custom built additions on our house from late spring into the summer months. Of course our human neighbors are not aware of the nests and even if they were, it is against the law to move or destroy an active nest. While the… Continue reading Our Closest Neighbors Are Birds