Ok, it was time for a new expedition and pics to go along with it. I will start with the article I wrote for our current newsletter and follow it up with pictures. The California Dogface Butterfly is classified as G2G3 (Globally imperiled or threatened). The are common in small geographic areas but very difficult to find due to their habitat preferences involving steep canyon valleys filled with poison oak and underbush. The false indigo shrub (Amorpha california) is also considered rare and classified as 1B.2 by the California Native Plant Society as quoted from Calfora. I was pretty excited to find these species on the property which consists of only 40 acres but it's a damned beautiful 40 arces! Thank you guys for reading and I apologize for the quality of pics.
While not the California Dogface, and while it's globally secure, I'm doing my part for the Southern Dogface that is known to migrate to my area. I made sure to incorporate lead plant in my native garden for this butterfly. Haven't seen it yet but each year, more and more species are visiting my yard so I'm not counting them out yet.
That is awesome SSimon! Have you checked the local regirtries to see if there are any known hot-spots near you? Otherwise you may be like an ecological island. lol
Laughing. Yeah, it's made recorded appearances by me. Just haven't seen it. And my yard is somewhat like an ecological island comparatively speaking. The lightening bug population went from zero to many as did the rest of the insect population and for the first time I have Cedar Waxwings nesting nearby. They are daily visitors now. This all just within a three year restoration period.
Your writing is excellent. In standard academic writeups, I would be asleep by the first sentence. PS. Any get poison oak on them?
Thanks! No one got poison oak during the trip. I'm very suprised I didn't get it. I used to be a poison oak hypochondriac!
