The following are some of my favorites:

Go to TOP of PAGE

Return to MY GARDEN
Return to June's WEBPAGE
 
 

Stellar's Jay ...
Cyanocitta stelleri 
Family Corvidae (perching bird)

A bird with a personality ... and fun to watch.  They were often seen playing  "tag"  with the squirrel as they shared the birdseed scattered on the ground.  This dark crested jay is commonly found in coniferous forests.  The white markings on the head, which resemble eyebrows, give this bird an inquisitive look as it tilts its head from side to side, surveying its surroundings.  Its calls are commonly raucous and low-pitched, often heard in a series of three; but this can vary. It is also capable of rendering a very melodic birdsong, and can imitate a hawk. Although it has a reputation of being loud and aggressive, jays are often scolded and chased by smaller birds during nesting season. The bird pictured at the left is a frequent diner at our birdfeeder, feasting on sunflower seeds and other choice morsels.

Go to TOP of PAGE

Return to MY GARDEN
Return to June's WEBPAGE
 

Western Tiger
Swallowtail Butterfly ...
Pterourus rutulus
Lepidoptera. Papilionoidea (true butterflies).

Often seen flittering from flower to flower, or flying across the backyard ... especially when the sprinklers were on. Its distinctive coloration ... bright yellow with black tiger stripes and blue and orange markings ... is eye-catching.  This butterfly ranges from British Columbia to Baja California, and east through the Rockies.  Its natural habitat is near moisture; such as, near creeks, in parks and gardens.  They may gather in large numbers around mud puddles or beside streams.  Eggs are deep green, smooth, and round.  Caterpillars are deep to light green.  Their smooth bodies are larger in the front, where large yellow eye spots with blue and black  pupils are located.  Winter is spent in a dark brown, wood-like crysallis, which is slung from a twig by a silk loop. Host plants include willows, poplars, aspens, alders, and sycamores.

Go to TOP of PAGE

Return to MY GARDEN
Return to June's WEBPAGE
 

Genus Eutamias

This small animal is busy every sunny day from spring to early autumn ... finding food to store for winter.  Pouches inside the cheeks are filled with seeds, nuts, or berries and carried to secret hidding places ... sometimes undergound, sometimes on the surface.  This small furry creature, marked with alternate dark and light stripes, could be seen scurrying across the deck, up and down the woodpile, and across the lawn.  Always in a hurry ...

Go to TOP of PAGE

Return to MY GARDEN
Return to June's WEBPAGE
 

Honey Bees ...

Apis mellifera
Hymenoptera.

These busy insects are members of the Order Hymenoptera, which includes other beneficial insects as well as some insect pests. They have two pair of veined transparent wings; the smaller hind wing is held to the fore wing by a row of tiny hooks. In addition to chewing mouthparts, these insects have very long modified tongues for lapping or sucking liquid foods. Honey bees are a social species with a caste system, and the young are fed accordingly. The queen gets the best; the drones, very little. Worker bees are fed adequately to maintain strength and energy for the work they do. Valuable as pollinators of cultivated plants and as producers of honey and beeswax, they have lived in domestication for more than 4000 years. Colonies of bees are commonly found in hives provided by beekeepers; however, wild swarms can also be found in hollow trees.

Go to TOP of PAGE

Return to MY GARDEN
Return to June's WEBPAGE