caterpillar

Their leaves feed caterpillars, their bark shelters bats and beetles, and their acorns sustain mammals and birds through the winter.

It's carrying a caterpillar – prey to feed its young.

Also, monarch butterflies flit among the tall stands of narrow leaf milkweed, the plant their caterpillars require to survive.

It also offers a variety of seeds for black, white, purple, Cleveland and hummingbird sages, as well as apricot mallow, showy penstemon, yarrow, California poppies, caterpillar phacelia and more.

This year's warmth has helped them move through their lifecycle quickly meaning their survival rate has been remarkably good; spending less time as caterpillars and as potential bird food.