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Posts Tagged: Rita LeRoy
Once Upon a Monarch...
We first saw her at 10 a.m. on Oct. 27, 2017. She was eating. That's what monarch caterpillars do best. They eat. A lot. "Where have you been?" I asked. "Where have you been hiding? Your siblings have long gone. Your buddies passed through here in late...
A monarch caterpillar dines on tropical milkweed on Oct. 27, 2017 in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The monarch caterpillar, found Oct. 27 on milkweed in Vacaville, Calif., formed this chrysalis on Nov. 4. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
On Nov. 22, the chrysalis darkened, revealing the iconic orange, black and white wings of the monarch in all its transparency. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
On Nov. 22, the monarch eclosed. It's a girl! Here she clings to her pupal case. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Monarch Mom Rita LeRoy, farm keeper at Loma Vista Farm, Vallejo, is ready to release the Vacaville-born and reared monarch at the butterfly sanctuary at Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz, on Nov. 24.
Our Story Begins with Eight Monarch Caterpillars in the Dead of Winter
This is a story about how eight monarch butterflies escaped the freezing temperatures of Vacaville, Calif., and hitchhiked to sunny Santa Cruz, thanks to Good Samaritans (Good Monarcharians?) Rita LeRoy and Walter Rockholt of Vallejo. It all started in...
Rita LeRoy of Vallejo holds a Vacaville monarch before releasing it at Lighthouse Field State Park. (Photo by Walter Rockholt)
Monarchs overwintering in the Lighthouse Field State Park, Santa Cruz. (Photo by Rita LeRoy)
Monarchs fluttering in the warm breeze at Lighthouse Field State Park, Santa Cruz. (Photo by Rita LeRoy)
Multiple monarchs nectaring on Eucalyptus blossoms at the overwintering site in Santa Cruz. (Photo by Rita LeRoy)
An Absolutely Amazing Photo!
Rita LeRoy, the self-described "Farm Keeper" at the Loma Vista Farm, Vallejo, takes amazing photos. We recently wrote about the farm, part of the Vallejo City Unified School District, when we visited it during the annual spring...
Praying mantids emerging from an ootheca. (Photo by Rita LeRoy)
Close-up of praying mantids emerging from an ootheca. (Photo by Rita LeRoy)
Find the praying mantis! It's deep among the lavender stems. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of the praying mantis in the lavender patch. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bee-hold, the Bumble Bee Nest!
You've seen bumble bees in flight. You've seen the heavy pollen loads. But have you ever seen the ground nest of a bumble bee? You will if you attend the Spring Festival hosted at the Loma Vista Farm, part of the Vallejo City Unified School District, on...
Bumble bees, Bombus vosnesenskii,are nesting in a ground cavity at the Loma Vista Farm, Vallejo. (Photo by Rita LeRoy, Loma Vista Farm)
Going in! Coming out! There's lots of activity at the bumble bee nest at the Loma Vista Farm, Vallejo. Farm keeper Rita LeRoy discovered the nest of Bombus vosnesenskii. (Photo by Rita LeRoy, Loma Vista Farm)
