West Coast from above and below

  

Air temperatures reached a balmy 65-70°F in Cotati yesterday (1 February 2026).  I took a quick look for butterflies in the afternoon.  Here's a West Coast Lady (Vanessa annabella) from above (above) and from below (below).  :)

 

 

Nectaring at the coast

 

 

Air temperatures reached ~65°F (~18°C) on Bodega Head today.  There was lots of insect activity, including quite a few Painted Lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui) — some nectaring on Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis) as in the photo above, others on Seaside Daisy (Erigeron glaucus).

Sunshine corner

  

Air temperatures reached daily record highs today (23 February 2021).  It was in the high 70s and perhaps the low 80s in Cotati this afternoon.  With warmth like that, it's not surprising a few butterflies were out basking in the sun.  Late in the day we found one little sunny corner in our neighborhood with a handful of butterflies — a mixed "flock" of California Tortoiseshells (Nymphalis californica), shown above, and West Coast Ladies (Vanessa annabella).

Warming up

Remarkably, air temperatures reached 70°F (21°C) in Bodega Bay this afternoon.  That's warm for February!  [Daily air temperature records were broken throughout the Bay area today.]

I decided to go for a short walk in the late afternoon to look for butterflies basking in the sun.

I wasn't surprised, but it was interesting to see five species of butterflies today.  I'll show all five below so you can compare them.  (Note: All five species can overwinter as adults in this area, hence their brief appearances on warm days.  In contrast, many other butterfly species overwinter as caterpillars or pupae.)

 

Monarch (Danaus plexippus) 

 

West Coast Lady (Vanessa annabella) 

Satyr Anglewing (Polygonia satyrus)

 

California Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica) 

 

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)