eyeless in gaza

[Joel Lyons]

  Fine Report!

  Regards,
  Aldous H.

Patrick Foley wrote:

> Dear lepsters,
>
> Along the American River in Sacramento, the Pipevine Swallowtails,
> Battus philenor, are flying in numbers, at least the males. They are
> mating with the few evident females, and their cute little
> orange-spotted caterpillars are showing up on the
> Aristolochia.californica.
>
> I saw my first spring Anise Swallowtail, Papilio zelicaon, close up
> today, and while his tails were pristine, both hw eyespots had been
> cleanly removed with no other damage. I guess it is springtime for the
> birds also. What will be this bird's next mistake?
>
> Also seen recently here are the western Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio
> rutulus, the Spring Azure, Celestrina ladon, the Eastern tailed blue,
> Everes comyntas, and of course the Orange Sulfur, Colias eurytheme and
> the Cabbage White, Pieris rapae.
>
> Oddly, I have seen few bees along the American river this spring so far:
> a few carpenter bees, Xylocopa , and a few bumble bees, Bombus. Usually
> by now, more small native bees are in evidence. This may be due to
> observer bias; my right eye, while retinally sound, is still plagued by
> unphagocytized red blood cells, so that rapid movements give much the
> same effect as a little shaken snow scene. When the phagocytes have
> finished their work, it will be harder for the bees to hide among the
> floaters.
>
> Patrick Foley
> patfoley at csus.edu
>
>
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