Butterflies & Blooms at the SF Conservatory of Flowers

A new exhibit opens today at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers celebrating one of the most fascinating of all the insects--butterflies.

From now until October 20, you'll be able to wander amongst more than 20 species of North American butterflies as they flit from flower to flower, sipping nectar and doing their all-important pollination work. Among the species represented are monarchs, Western swallowtails, and red admirals as well as a number of giant moths.

In addition, visitors will be able to observe the butterflies' chrysalises in the Butterfly Bungalow and perhaps even be present to witness a butterfly's emergence into the world.

I'm looking forward to seeing this exhibit and you can see it too, Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 to 4. Check the Conservatory's website for admission prices and directions.
Photo Credits: Ron Lewis

Support Your Local Pollinator

Believe it or not, this week (June 24-30) is National Pollinator Week. There have been events going on throughout the country designed to encourage appreciation of the vital and monumental job that pollinators perform moving tiny bits of pollen from one flower to the next--a thankless task that they happily do, and oh by the way, if they stopped doing it our entire ecosystem would basically shut down. If nothing else, the current problem with Colony Collapse Disorder, which is decimating the honeybee population, should serve as a reminder not to take these guys for granted.

As part of the pollinator lovefest, the U.S. Postal Service is unveiling a new stamp dedicated to the best-known (and perhaps the cutest) pollinators. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds are a given, and I suppose it was nice of the USPS to include bats, which, however useful they may be, do creep some people out. But where is the recognition for the less lovable, but no less hard-working pollinators? Where's the stamp commemorating the hard work of slugs, snails, ants, flies, and beetles? So here's to the unsung heroes--the creepy-crawlies, the flying annoyances, the slimy little bastards who keep our gardens pollinated. Everyone, raise your glass!