Can you believe this heat in the middle of April? It's the buzz around town, with our neighboring city of Santa Ana posting a record breaking 103 yesterday. Actually, I can remember a similar heat spell last April, maybe not quite as hot but very close to the same time. It was 7 days later in April 2008 when I sat out in the driveway on a sweat-dripping hot Saturday in the small pool of shade under the blooming melaleuca linarifolia and noticed what a bug magnet that tree can be.
This past Sunday, April 19 2009, found the tree about 1/4 in bloom with plenty more buds set to open soon. I haven't had time to just sit under the tree observing (yet) but I did notice this mourning cloak, nymphalis antiopa, and lots of honeybees feeding among the flowers.
The forecast is for a cooling trend. I'll see how that effects the bloom and the attendant bugs on my tree island.
1 comment:
I'm always happy to see the mourning cloak in our area. They were very common when I was a kid, but I have seen only a handful as an adult.
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