A Lakes Basin Meadow

Howard Meadow - 6/29/23

Howard Meadow is one of my favorite places in the Lakes Basin.  It is a HUGE meadow that has millions of flowers, and a creek that runs through the middle of it!  My husband and I have visited it twice in the past two weeks to see what's blooming.  In the meadow itself, there are thousands of Plantain Buttercups in bloom, Corn Lilies in bud, Marsh Marigolds, and Common Camas Lily just emerging.  Along the road, away from the wet meadow, Stickseed, California Waterleaf, Lewisia, Larkspur, Western Spring Beauty, Snow Plant, Blue-eyed Mary, Western Sweet Cicely, Cymopterus, and Mountain Mule's Ears are in bloom!  It's a wildflower paradise!  We also saw a Dark-eyed Junco nest, a Doe with two fawns, a Sierra Tiger Beetle, Horsehair Worms, and an Underwing Moth!  WOW!!!  What a great bunch of sightings!

Plantain Buttercup - Ranunculus alsimifolius

Meadows can be great for observing wildlife.  All the lush, wet growth attracts insects, mammals, birds, and amphibians!  In the book Sierra Nevada (1970) the author, Verna R. Johnston, writes a delightful account of the wildlife that inhabits sierran meadows, including Pocket Gophers, California Moles, Voles, Aplondontia, Shrews, Coyotes, Bats, Deer, Weasels, songbirds, and raptors! It is a fascinating account of the complex ecosystem of a meadow. I highly recommend her book! The following quote is her introduction to the subject of mountain meadows.

"This inherent rhythm, unique to each species, is very evident among the animals of the mountain meadows. Thousands of meadows, varying from small seepages to spacious ranches, intersperse the midmountain, higher mountain forests. Each, in an unmatched setting of its own, is a serene open place where morning dew hangs heavy on the grass and sedge, midday sun dazzles, evening's coolness brings the deer. But each is much more than grass, wet soil, wildflowers, deer at twilight. Each is an interlaced community of plants and animals whose lives affect each other intimately the year through, often in ways that barely show above the surface."

Three-leaf Lewisia - Sierra Lewisia

Lewisia triphylla - Lewisia nevadensis

Snow Plant in bud & in bloom - Sarcodes sanguinea

Marsh Marigold - Caltha leptosepala

Velvety Stickseed - Torrey's Blue-eyed Mary

Hackelia velutina - Collinsia torreyi

 Western Sweet-cicely - Cymopterus
Osmorhiza occidentalis - Cymopterus terebinthinus

 Western Spring Beauties - Claytonia lanceolata

Larkspurs sp. -Mountain Mule's Ears

Delphinium sp. - Wyethia mollis

Bach's Downingia - Dwarf Hesperochiron

Downingia bacigalupii - Hesperochiron pumilus

The two flowers pictured above are new sightings for me!  I've never seen either one before!  What fun it is to find new species!

Dark-eyed Junco with inset photo of eggs - Junco hyemalis

Unusual Sightings in the Lakes Basin!

As we approached Howard Meadow, a Dark-eyed Junco took off from the ground right where I was walking!  I immediately stopped and searched for a nest on the ground, and found one under a fallen Douglas Fir branch with four eggs in it!  WOW!  The eggs are incubated for 12-13 days by the female, then the nestlings hatch.  It seems to me that having a nest on the ground would be an easy target for predators.  It turns out that 20%-80% of the eggs are eaten mainly by chipmunks and deer mice!  The nestlings are fed in the nest by the parents, and fledge (leave the nest) after 12-13 days.  The fledglings are then fed (out of the nest) by the parents for approximately 14 more days.  At that point the young birds can feed themselves and fly.

Horsehair Worms - Sierra Tiger Beetle

Nematomorpha sp. - Cicindela tranquebarica ssp. sierra

We came across these thin white worms in some of the snowmelt ponds.  They MAY be Horsehair Worms, but I'm not certain that they are. I have submitted a photo to iNaturalist.org and hopefully it will get identified in the near future.  In the meantime, here's some information that I paraphrased from https://ipm.ucanr.edu/.

"Horsehair worms overwinter in water or mud. Adult worms measure 1/25 inch in diameter and may reach 1 foot or more in length.  After mating in spring, the female worm deposits a string of eggs 12 to 24 inches long in the water. About three weeks to one month later, minute immature larvae hatch. These larvae must parasitize an invertebrate host to develop.   

There are several ways that horsehair worms parasitize hosts and complete their development. Sometimes the host directly ingests the larvae, which immediately move into their parasitic stage and develop within that host.

Some preparasitic horsehair worm larvae encyst on leaves or other debris when a water source dries up. If a suitable host, such as a millipede, eats this cyst when ingesting vegetation, the horsehair worm larvae can move into the parasitic stage.

About three months after the horsehair worm parasitizes a host, the host is impelled to seek out water. When the host enters the water, the mature worm emerges. Adult worms are free-living in water and don't feed, but they can live many months."

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The Sierra Tiger Beetle was on the road to Howard Meadow!  This is only the second time I've seen one of these beautiful, metallic-green beetles. The following information about these beetles is from Wikipedia.org.

"Tiger beetles often have large bulging eyes, long, slender legs and large curved mandibles. Members of the genus Cicindela are usually diurnal and may be out on the hottest days. Cicindela, commonly known as common tiger beetles are generally brightly colored and often with some sort of patterning of ivory or cream-colored markings. They are most abundant and diverse in habitats very often near bodies of water with sandy or occasionally clay soils; they can be found along rivers, sea and lake shores, sand dunes, around dry lakebeds, on clay banks, or woodland paths.

All are predatory, both as adults and as larvae. The larvae of tiger beetles live in cylindrical burrows as much as a meter deep. They are large-headed, hump-backed grubs and use their humpbacks to flip backwards, for the purpose of capturing prey insects that wander over the ground.

The fast-moving adults run down their prey and are extremely fast on the wing. Tiger beetles display an unusual form of pursuit in which they alternatively sprint quickly toward their prey, then stop and visually reorient. This may be because while running, the beetle is moving too fast for its visual system to accurately process images. To avoid obstacles while running they hold their antennae rigidly and directly in front of them to mechanically sense their environment."

Underwing Moth - Catocala irene

As we were walking along the road to Howard Meadow, I noticed this gray moth with its brightly colored underwing showing!  I had never seen one of these moths before!  When it closed its wings, it was totally camouflaged. When Underwing Moths are disturbed, they move the cryptic (very well camouflaged, tree-bark-patterned) forewings  to expose bright patches of color on the upper surface of the hind wings. This helps to deter predators.  How cool to find one of these intriguing moths!

Columbian Black-tailed Deer - Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

To our delight we came across a doe with two tiny fawns, on the road to Howard Meadow!  They were really pretty tiny, and shorter than their mom's belly!   I rarely see deer in the Lakes Basin, and have never seen a doe with fawns there!  Such wonderful beauty! 

What's happening on the River?

What's happening in my neighborhood?

Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated. Please feel free to email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!

A Cherry Festival!

Western Tanager (female) - Piranga ludoviciana

Our neighborhood is full of non-native fruit trees. This year they all bloomed while the weather was warm! Last year it snowed and stayed cold while they were in bloom, so no insects could pollinate them and we had an overall crop failure! I'm so glad that this year it's looking good for the availability of fruits, berries, and seeds. Right now the Cherries are RIPE!

American Robin (adult) - Turdus migratorius

A "Cherry Festival" has been going on in our neighborhood for the past two weeks!  A whole variety of birds have been eating the local cherries and they're just about all gone! Tanagers, Grosbeaks, Robins, Orioles, Steller's Jays, Towhees, Pigeons, Cedar Waxwings, and Doves join in the feast! Their constant chattering and movement is fascinating to watch and hear!  It's a beautiful sight to see, and enchants me for hours!

Black-headed Grosbeak (female) - Pheucticus melanocephalus 

Some birds swallow the cherries whole, some peck bites from them, others pick the whole cherry, roll it around in their beaks, and then spit out the pit!  Towards the end of the "Festival" the birds all feed on one particular tree one day, and then move on to another tree the next day! 

Hairy Woodpecker (male) - Dryobates villosus

For the first time ever,  I saw a Hairy Woodpecker eating cherries this week!  I didn't know that they ate cherries!  I looked it up and they do indeed eat "fruit" but it is a minimal part of their diet.  I'll bet cherries are quite a change from their usual insect fare!

Band-tailed Pigeon (adult) - Columba fasciata

Once the cherries are ripe, the bird population seems to increase 10 fold! Band-tailed Pigeons can de-cherry a tree in a day! It's been quite a commotion in the trees, with birds flying back and forth looking for the last cherry in the neighborhood! 

Steller's Jay (adult) - Cyanocitta stelleri

There are a few different kinds of cherry trees growing here.  Queen Anne Cherry Trees produce medium/small cherries that are rosy/blond in color.  Another kind produces lots of small dark cherries that are mostly pit, but I don't know its name. The birds enjoy them all!

 

Steller's Jay (adult) with Cherry pits - Cyanocitta stelleri

Interestingly, Steller's Jays also gather the discarded cherry pits!  I watched a Jay bury several pits, one at a time, in different locations this week.  I don't know why they do this!  Do they soften up underground and are eaten later?  I have to do some research on this and get back to you!

Tree Swallows (fledglings) - Tachycineta bicolor

A Few Fledglings!

I've seen a few fledglings in my neighborhood this week!  I find it so amazing that they survived through the nestling stage! There are so many factors that can adversely affect nestlings, such as extreme weather, lack of natural food (eg. too cold for insects to be active), parasitic mites, disease, and predators. Lots of critters prey on bird eggs and baby birds, such as tree-climbing snakes, Pine Martens, Raccoons, squirrels, and other birds. Nesting periods can be as short as 12 days or as long as 55 days!

The following information on fledglings is from the website toughlittlebirds.com.

"Fledglings are at one of the most dangerous time in their lives, facing an average mortality rate of 42% over just a week or two. Most of that mortality happens early, just after the little guys have left the nest. New fledglings have almost no skills: they can't feed themselves, can't fly well (or, in many cases, at all) and can't do anything to defend themselves if something terrifying like a weasel, snake, crow, or even chipmunk decides to eat them.

So why do they fledge at all? Because staying in the nest would be even more dangerous. A flightless baby bird's chief defense is being hidden, and a nest, while it is often hidden, has disadvantages. After two weeks of the parents feeding their chicks, there is a lot of evidence around indicating where the nest is: the nest will smell like birds; the parents will be in the area noticeably frequently; and if an intelligent predator like a Steller's Jay gets the idea to watch parental movement, it will quickly learn where the nest is. A baby bird out of the nest can do better, as long as it is capable of running and perching, since it can change hiding places and can hide separately from its siblings."

Tree Swallow (fledgling) - Tachycineta bicolor

Three Swallow nestlings fledge in 15-25 days. Fledglings may have poor feeding and flying skills, and receive post-fledgling feedings by parents for several days. However, fledglings are also seen flying and feeding independently of parents soon after they leave the nest. 

Steller's Jay (fledgling) - Cyanocitta stelleri

One morning this week I was about to load a brush pile into our truck, when I noticed this young Steller's Jay perched on top of it! It was so cute! It hopped off the pile of branches to the ground and then hopped up from branch to branch into a hawthorn bush! What a fun sighting!  The following information about young Steller's Jays is from the Cornell website birdsoftheworld.org.

"Young remain in nest for about 16 d. Both parents continue to feed the young for about a month after they fledge; dependent fledglings beg loudly and chase parents. Independent fledglings can remain with parents in family group into fall or winter.

Steller's Jay (fledgling) - Cyanocitta stelleri

"Weak flights begin at 15–22 d of age; bird tended to stay on perch; unable to take off from ground, but hopped up to higher perches and flew from there; frequently exercised wings from about 27 d, mainly at dawn and dusk; sustained flights occurred at about 30 d."

American Robin (fledgling) - Turdus migratorius

I've also seen several young American Robins in our neighborhood this week! They are easily identified by their spotted breasts and bellies. The following information about young American Robins is from the Cornell website birdsoftheworld.org.

"Chicks begin to lose weight on day 9 or 10 of development, fledge on about day 13. Nestmates leave the nest within a 24-h period, wander off a short distance, and are followed and fed by parents. When the brood is partially fledged, young remaining in the nest are fed primarily by the female.

After fledging of the complete brood, first the female and then the male follow the young and provide food as they wander about within 150 m of the nest for at least 3 wk. When a female is on a second nest, the male may take fledged young to a communal roost at night.

At fledging, young birds cannot maintain level flight and spend next 10–15 d in cover before becoming independent."

Helgramite Lake at 7,040' in elevation  - 6/29/23

Lakes Basin Update!

The snow is melting fast in the Lakes Basin!  Here are photographs of four different areas that I visited twice in the past two weeks.  The difference in the amount of snow cover from one week to the next is amazing! 

 

Helgramite Lake at 7,040' in elevation  - 7/6/23

Upper Helgramite Lake at 7,100' in elevation  - 6/29/23

Upper Helgramite Lake at 7,100' in elevation  - 7/6/23

Meadow near Upper Helgramite Lake at 7,200' in elevation  - 6/29/23

Meadow near Upper Helgramite Lake at 7,200' in elevation  - 7/6/23

Un-named Lake at 7,450' in elevation  - 6/29/23

Un-named Lake at 7,450' in elevation  - 7/6/23

What the heck is this?

Is anything blooming in the Lakes Basin?

What's happening on the River?

Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated. Please feel free to email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!.

Local Mammals!

Black Bear  - Ursus americanus

There are lots of cherry trees in our neighborhood that are full of ripe cherries right now.  Yesterday evening I saw a small cherry tree swaying violently behind our back porch.  Thinking that it must be an animal causing the movement, I quickly ran out there to see what was up!  It was a BIG Black Bear, probably weighing over 300 lbs.!  It didn't pay any attention to me, and quickly climbed a large cherry tree right next to our back porch!  It stayed up in that cherry tree for the next and hour and a half feasting on cherries!!!  WOW!!!  At one point it was fifty feet up the tree, munching away! 

Black Bear climbing a Cherry Tree!  - Ursus americanus

It seemed SO STRONG as it effortlessly climbed the tree!  Its sense of balance was amazing, as leaned out to grab branches full of cherries!  Black Bears are omnivores, but mainly eat insects, grubs, fruit, berries, roots, twigs, buds, honey, and tree cambium.  Occasionally they will eat small to medium-sized mammals and carrion.  They range in size from3'-3'5'' in height, 4'6"-6'2" in length, and 203lbs.-587lbs. in weight.  Adults can run up to 30 mph, and are powerful swimmers and climbers!  

Here's a video that's a few minutes long of the Black Bear foraging in the cherry tree.  Didn't want to shorten it, as I find it fascinating to watch!

Despite their large size, Black Bears are not usually predators. They are primarily nocturnal or crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk), but can be seen at any time of the day. Their range is typically 8-10 square miles, and occasionally up to 15 square miles. Males and females are solitary except briefly during mating. However, offspring will stay with their mother for up to 17 months. This one is probably a male, as it didn't have any cubs.

What a privilege it was to watch this strong, beautiful Black Bear maneuver through and up the cherry tree, eating cherries the whole time!

Columbian Black-tailed Deer - Doe and Fawns

Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

Earlier this week, I was out wandering one morning when I came across a doe and two fawns! WOW!!! They looked at me for a few seconds and then they took off! How lucky to see them!  Does have one fawn in their first birthing year, then twins or triplets in following years. The spotted fawns will lose their spots 90-120 days after they're born. Only the does care for the fawns. Female fawns usually stay with their mothers for two years; young bucks leave after a year.

Here’s more information on fawns, that I found fascinating, from northernwoodlands.com.

"Young fawns’ scent glands are not well-developed. When a fawn is born, the doe licks it clean, removing odors that might alert predators. A few hours after birth, when the fawn can stand and walk, she moves it from the birth spot to a new hiding place. A fawn spends most of its first weeks of life bedded down alone. The doe stays away from her newborn except to nurse it periodically, and to lead it to new bed sites. That way her scent does not attract predators to the area where the fawn is hiding. If she has twins, which is common, the doe will typically hide them in separate places and make the rounds to nurse them. While the fawn nurses excitedly, its tail flicking, the doe licks its fur and genital areas to stimulate urination and defecation. She may also consume the fawn’s droppings to destroy evidence of its presence. Although secrecy is a fawn’s main defense, it has another: mom. If a fawn is in distress, it bleats, and the doe, which stays nearby, usually comes running, ready to defend it with her sharp hooves."

Columbian Black-tailed Deer - Doe and Fawns

Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

"Fawns grow rapidly on their mother’s rich milk. By two to three weeks of age, they begin to nibble green vegetation. After a month, they will browse on tree seedlings. At this age, they begin to choose their own bedding sites and twins are reunited. By summer, young deer can outrun most danger, and trail their mother closely. Fawns usually are weaned at two to three months. In early autumn, a fawn’s spotted coat is replaced by the gray-brown winter coat of an adult deer. Female fawns usually stay with their mothers for two years; young bucks leave after a year. A buck fawn can be identified when only a few days old by the two round spots on its head where the antlers will grow."

If you are lucky enough to find a fawn in the forest, please leave it alone, the mother will take care of it! It is always best to leave wild things wild!

Columbian Black-tailed Deer - Young Buck

Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

I also came across a young buck this week! I haven't seen any deer in months!  Male Deer usually travel in groups of males, or individually. This one was all by itself.  Males usually stick with males, and females with females except for brief periods of breeding.

There are two kinds of Mule Deer in my neighborhood, the Columbian Black-tailed Deer and the California Mule Deer. The California Mule Deer have larger ears (20”-22” compared to 8”) than the Columbian Black-tailed Deer. Another way to determine which species you are seeing is to look at their tail. Columbian Black-tailed Deer have a more-or-less solid black tail. The California Mule Deer's tail is only black on the tip, sometimes with a thin strip of black running down the tail.

Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargenteus

 

This Gray Fox shows up occasionally near our garden.  I've come to recognize it!  Each one of the foxes in our neighborhood has a distinct face.  It's always a pleasure to see them!

Gray Foxes mate for life, and breed sometime between January and early March. Kits are born two months after mating. Dens are made in underground burrows, in hollow logs or trees, under large rocks or ledges, or up in a tree canopy in a hollow trunk or branch. (Gray Foxes are the only North American fox that can climb trees! They descend down a tree trunk like a bear does, with its hind feet first.) Both parents take care of the kits. After 10 months, the kits are sexually mature and disperse from the family unit. Gray Foxes are omnivores and eat plants, insects, eggs, small mammals, and birds.

Stream Orchid - Leopard Lily - Washington Lily

Epipactis gigantea - Lilium pardalinum - Lilium washingtonianum

Local Blooms!

It's heating up in our neighborhood and some of the more showy and fragrant flowers are making an appearance! Washington Lilies smell like Easter Lilies and grow to 5' tall!  Stream Orchids grow locally in large groups, numbering in the thousands!  Both the orchids and the Leopard Lilies are strikingly fancy but not fragrant.  The Milkweed, Pennyroyal and Mock Orange are all deliciously fragrant and showy! 

Showy Milkweed - Mountain Pennyroyal - Mock Orange

Asclepius speciosa  - Monardella odoratissimq - Philadelphus lewisii

Mount Elwell & Long Lake - 6/29/23

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

What's happening on the river?

Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated. Please feel free to email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!.

Feeding Nestlings

Hairy Woodpecker (male) - Dryobates villosus

If you've seen a bird flying around with an insect in its beak lately, chances are it's on the way to a nest to feed its offspring.  In the spring and summer, 96% of terrestrial birds feed their nestlings invertebrates, not berries or seeds.  Nestlings are the babies still in the nest, that have not yet fledged. The list of edible invertebrates is quite lengthy and includes caterpillars, beetles, beetle larvae, ants, butterflies, moths, termites, wasps, bees, grasshoppers, crickets, earthworms and spiders. 

Hairy Woodpeckers feed on wood boring beetles and their larvae, ants, bees, wasps, butterfly caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets, cockroaches, spiders and millipedes.  They regurgitate digested foods to feed their young nestlings.  As nestlings mature, they are fed whole invertebrates. There are usually 4-7 nestlings in a nest.  The nestlings are fed approximately 7 times an hour, from sunrise to sunset,  for 28-30 days!  That's a total of 3,000 feedings before the nestlings leave their nest!

Red-breasted Sapsucker (male) - Sphyrapicus ruber

Red-breasted Sapsuckers are another common woodpecker in our neighborhood. The one pictured above has a mouthful of ants!  Sapsuckers feed their nestlings ants, caterpillars, spiders, and mayflies every 2 minutes from dawn to dusk!  There can be 4-7 nestlings in a nest!.  The nestlings fledge in 23-28 days.  So that's at least 10,500 invertebrates that get delivered to the nestlings by the parent birds!!!  Wow!!!

Scudderia Katydid nymph - Modoc Carpenter Ants - Mason Wasps

 Microcentrum rhombifolium - Camponotus modoc - Euodynerus foraminatus

 

Horned Lark (male) - Eremophila alpestris

Lately I've seen several birds with lots of caterpillars in their beaks!  Horned Larks feed their nestlings caterpillars, beetle larvae, grasshoppers, sowbugs and earthworms!  On average a Horned Lark feeds its young every 5-6 minutes!  That's 20+ trips in an hour, times 14 hours in a day (more or less) equals a total of 280 trips in one day!  There are 2-5 nestlings in a nest.  The nestlings usually fledge (leave the nest) in 10 days.  So 10 days times 280 equals 2,800 insects/invertebrates to feed one group of nestlings! 

Brewer's Sparrow (male) - Spizella breweri

Caterpillars can be the main food for many nestlings.  90% of the local caterpillars need native plants to survive.  In fact most caterpillars are "host specific", in that they feed on one species of native plant in their larval stage. Look up the butterflies and moths in John Muir Laws' book The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada, to find the host plants for their larvae (caterpillars). 

Caterpillars - unknown species

As Kate Marianchild states in her book Secrets of the Oak Woodlands, "Caterpillars are Mother Nature’s equivalent of mother’s milk and Gerber’s baby food, the ideal and irreplaceable food needed for most baby songbirds to survive. They’re soft and squishy and full of fat and protein and carbohydrates."

Olive-sided Flycatcher with wasp - Contopus cooperi

The Olive-sided Flycatcher feeds its nestlings mainly flying insects, such as dragonflies, flies, bees, wasps, flying ants, moths, and grasshoppers.  On average, there are three nestlings in a nest.  Cornell didn't have any information on how frequently the adults feed the nestlings!  The nestlings fledge in 15–19 days.  I'm sure the parents make thousands of trips feeding their young.

Steller's Jay with insect - Cyanocitta stelleri 

Steller's Jays probably feed their nestlings wasps and wild bees, beetles, caterpillars and moths, spiders, and grasshoppers.  Surprisingly Cornell didn't have any data on the type of food or the frequency of feedings!  They usually have 4-5 nestlings, which fledge in 16 days.  I would imagine they make thousands of trips feeding their nestlings until they fledge.

Small Milkweed Bug - Yellow-faced Bumblebee - Small Minnow Mayfly

Lygaeus kalmii - Bombus vosnesenskii - Callibaetis spp.

Western Tiger Swallowtail - Pale Swallowtail

Papilio rutulus rutulus - Papilio eurymedon

Garden Butterflies!

There has been an influx of butterflies in our garden lately!  Luckily these weren't eaten while they were caterpillars, but they can still be eaten as adults.  In the meantime they are pollinating flowers, drinking nectar, mating, and laying eggs!  A butterfly usually lays between 100 to 300 eggs, which hatch into caterpillars within 3 to 8 days.  The following information from sciencing.com explains this process.

"Egg Formation:  Butterflies are oviparous, meaning they lay eggs. They breed as many animals do—eggs from the female insect are fertilized by sperm from the male. The female butterfly stores the male’s sperm in a bursa, or sac, until she is ready to lay eggs. Depending on the species, females lay eggs one at a time, in clusters, or in batches of hundreds. Butterflies lay an average of between 100 to 300 eggs, although some species may only lay a few dozen, others can lay as many as a thousand or more.

Silver-Spotted Skipper - Pipevine Swallowtail

Epargyreus clarus - Battus philenor hirsuta

Physical Characteristics:  Butterfly eggs vary in size—from about 1 to 3 mm in diameter. The eggs can be smooth or textured, their shapes can be oval or round, and their colors can be yellow, white, green or other shades, depending on the species. The zebra longwing butterfly (Heliconious charitonia), for instance, produces eggs that look like tiny cobs of corn while the eastern black swallowtail butterfly (Papilio polyxenes asterius) produces smooth, pale-green, globe-shaped eggs.

Clodius parnassian - Parnassius clodius sol

Early Egg Stage:  Butterfly eggs are normally attached to a plant--usually the leaf--with a special fluid. This glue holds the eggs to the leaf in such a way that they cannot be separated without destroying the eggs. Small funnel-shaped openings called "micropiles" can be found on top of each egg. This is where water and air enter while the egg is developing. Each egg is surrounded by a chorion, a hard outer shell that protects the larva. Some shells have raised ribs.

California Sister - Lorquin's Admiral

Adelpha californica - Limenitis lorquini

Egg Development:  Inside each egg, a yolk can be found that serves as nourishment for the developing larva. A butterfly egg hatches after three to eight days depending on temperature and season of the year. A change in the egg’s color before hatching is normally visible. After hatching, some caterpillars eat their own eggshells as their first meal but most of them eat parts of the plant that the eggs were laid on.

Survival:  A female butterfly lays a great number of eggs. They also take special care of where they lay their eggs. The eggs need to be kept warm and must have the appropriate moisture or they will either rot or dry out. Normally, the eggs are attached to the underside of a leaf so they are kept safe from predators. A big portion of these eggs will not hatch to become butterflies as they are vulnerable to many predators such as birds, spiders, other insects and small mammals. Of the few hundred butterfly eggs laid, very few will reach adulthood."

Veronica Lake - 6/21/23

My friend Nancy and I decided to hike the Round Lake Trail last Thursday, but only got as far as Veronica Lake due to the snow.  There was still about a foot and a half of packed snow on 70% of the ground.  The trail was obscured in many areas, and there were several fallen trees on the trail.  It was lovely, but the going was slow.  Looks like it will definitely be another week or two before the trails are truly open!

Whose scat is that?

Where are the deer and the bears?

What's happening on the river?

Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated. Please feel free to email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!.