The Beauties – Part 2

A lot of alfalfa butterflies have been flying in the North Okanagan the past few weeks. Gorgeous yellow and green colours - a sight to behold. Unfortunately, these beauties are a pest and their caterpillars can cause damage to alfalfa. I have added photos of other pollinators I have seen in the valley. Enjoy! Alfalfa … Continue reading The Beauties – Part 2

Too Hot?

The Okanagan Valley is gorgeous in the Summer. Lots of sunshine, beautiful scenery and fun times. It can sometimes get too hot :). I came across some aquatic friends last week. Dipping my toes in the water was quite nice. Unfortunately, I cannot swim - on my to do list:) Enjoy! Painted turtle taking a … Continue reading Too Hot?

We have tail pipes

Aphids have tail pipes (cornicles). They can be a serious problem on many plants and trees in the valley. They are small, pear-shaped, soft - bodied insects and come in all sorts of colours; green, black, yellow, red, etc. To identify aphids, look for the tail pipes (cornicles) on the bum end. They are usually … Continue reading We have tail pipes

Aphid Guzzlers

Aphids - Don't you love them. Nah! They are numerous and can be found on many plants. Don't despair though, there are a lot of good bugs out there that feed on aphids. I will cover lady bugs in this post. Most people love ladybugs (I may be wrong :).  What's not to like? The … Continue reading Aphid Guzzlers

Got flies?

I saw some trees covered with netting last week and that got me thinking about two serious fly pests of cherries in the valley; western cherry fruit fly and spotted wing drosophila.  These two are responsible for most of the worms in cherries if untreated (very unpleasant).   Cherry fruit fly is about the size … Continue reading Got flies?

Happy Canada Day

https://www.canada.ca The maple tree is symbolic of Canada with the leaf proudly displayed on the Canadian flag.  Other symbols of Canada include the beaver, moose (I love moose, they are such quirky animals) and Canada goose.  We have a lot of maples in the valley; so many different varieties - Red, Norway, Armstrong, Freeman’s, Snake … Continue reading Happy Canada Day

FYI – The marmots ate the peaches 😲

You can spot marmots in the Okanagan valley.  They live in burrows and feed on green plants. They are cute looking things but they can cause damage to vegetable gardens.  We visited a peach orchard a few weeks ago and saw extensive damage to the fruit.  My co-workers and I debated who could have caused … Continue reading FYI – The marmots ate the peaches 😲

“Beetle Fest”

We have seen some gorgeous beetles feeding on pollen the past few weeks - adult checkered beetles, dimorphic flower beetles, click beetles and lady bug beetle larvae. Dimorphic flower beetles are cool - males and females have different colours. Click beetles make a clicking sound when you grab or flip them upside down. Don't go … Continue reading “Beetle Fest”

The Beauties

Butterflies – imagine beautiful sunny days, meadows, flowers, colours; snap - don’t fall asleep :). There are lots of butterflies flying around the valley; such gorgeous array of colours - purple, orange, yellow, white, you name it.  They are difficult to take pictures of though. We saw some colourful ones flittering around during our hike … Continue reading The Beauties