Tag: Biology

Native Plants & Pollinators

Polka Dot Wasp Moth

elauervose

I was admiring another new butterfly that showed up in my backyard last week when this stunning creature landed on a flower right in front of me. I took several pictures and then ran inside to look it up. So now I know this is a Polka Dot Wasp Moth - and it is actually a moth. You can see the feather-like shape of its antennae in this photo. It also has the characteristic spread out resting wing shape where a butterfly would fold its wings up over its back. Although most moths are nocturnal, the Polka dot wasp moth is diurnal (active during the daytime).

Biology

Lumens are for Humans; PAR is for Plants

elauervose

Learning about hydroponics was my COVID project. It was something I had wanted to learn for a long time and this was the perfect opportunity. I decided early on that a grow light would be my primary (and biggest) investment. Since then, I have experimented and explored all kinds of different growing methods and systems and I still think choosing a grow light carefully is the most important step. This post is the result of my own deep-dive into grow lights and my explanation of how to best use artificial light sources for autotrophic (self-feeding - aka photosynthetic) organisms.

Native Plants & Pollinators

White Peacock Butterfly

elauervose

It was a busy morning at the torch flower bed today! I saw a new butterfly - the White Peacock butterfly along with a pair of mating Gulf Fritillary butterflies. The White Peacock butterfly is a native butterfly in the brush-footed (Nymphalidae) family of butterflies. These brush-footed (or sometimes called four-footed) butterflies are so-called because… Continue reading White Peacock Butterfly

Adventure

Road trip Adventure! (Part 2 of 3)

elauervose

We got up before the sun and made my out the the Bright Angel trailhead to watch the sun rise. I hiked 1.5 miles down the trail to the mile-and-a-half rest house and back. Those 3 miles I hiked at a botanical pace - which is to say, very slowly, taking plant pictures and canyon every few feet. Even with the short distance and slow pace, I have to say that that hike was harder for me than most of the hikes I done to date. I am really, really not acclimated to altitude.