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Pollinator Post 9/4/24 (2)

I pause at this stretch of the trail that features vibrant plantings of Perez’s Sea Lavender.  
A small Digger Bee, Anthophora (Micranthophora) sp. (family Apidae) is foraging on an inflorescence of Perez’s Sea Lavender.  
The bee genus Anthophora is one of the largest in the family Apidae, with over 450 species worldwide in 14 different subgenera.  They are most abundant and diverse in the Holarctic and African biogeographic regions.  All species are solitary, though many nest in large aggregations.  Nearly all species make nests in the soil, either in banks or in flat ground; the larvae develop in cells with waterproof linings and do not spin cocoons.  Males commonly have white or yellow facial markings, and/or peculiarly modified leg armature and hairs.  
Members of the subgenus Micranthophora are smaller than other New World Anthophora.  Many but not all species are associated with xeric habitats.  
Several Micranthophora are zipping around the sea lavender, occasionally stopping briefly for nectar. 
A Micranthophora lands on the ground and perches on a twig among the leaf litter in front of the sea lavender.  Might it have a nest here?
Another lands on the same patch.
As I wait around, I see more Micanthophora land on the ground next to the sea lavender.  
This female has yellow pollen on her scopae.  Although I do not see any of the Small Digger Bees enter a burrow, I am almost sure that they nest here.  No wonder I always see them buzz around the sea lavender!
A male Forked Globetail, Sphaerophoria sulphuripes (family Syrphidae) lands on a ray petal of a Grindelia flowerhead.
The hover fly is native to western North America.  There is marked sexual dimorphism in the Forked Globetail – the males have a narrow abdomen with a reddish, swollen tip.  Adults visit flowers for nectar and pollen.  The larvae of Sphaerophoria feed on aphids and other soft-bodied insects.  
Forked Globetail (Sphaerophoria sulphuripes) · iNaturalist
As I pass a Spittlebug-infested Grindelia, I notice a European Paper Wasp on a foam mass.  As I try to take a picture, the wasp flies away, and lands in the undergrowth.  It remains there for a while, hunched over, either dispatching a prey it has captured, and/or cleaning its mouthparts.  Are the wasps preying on the Spittlebugs that have emerged as adults?

Hey, that’s an adult Spittlebug on the Grindelia leaf!
Believe it or not, the pair of black spots are not its eyes; the bug is facing up.  Fake eyes on the butt – what a concept!  I took several pictures before I realize that I am focusing on the wrong end of the insect!  I am not sure if the fake eyes are on the wings.  They appear to be raised, and even shine like eyes!
An exuvia (shed exoskeleton of an insect after molting) is still clinging to a Grindelia leaf.  A mature Spittlebug nymph has crawled out of its foamy shelter to molt for the last time and transform into an adult.  
Here’s a fresh adult Spittlebug just above its former foam shelter.  Its eyes are a light olive-brown color.  You can see the fake eye near the tip of its left wing.  The black spot appears to be part of the hind wing.  Is the “snout” a corrugated structure that houses the pump mechanism for generating suction for sucking plant sap?  Below the snout is a sharp-tipped proboscis that is used to pierce plant tissues.  Most spittlebug families share these features in their mouthparts.
A closer view of the same Spittlebug.  A bizarre beauty all of 4 mm long!
An Exotic Streaktail, Allograpta exotica (family Syrphidae) is foraging on an inflorescence of Arrowleaf Saltbush, Atriplex prostrata (family Chenopodiaceae). 
Allograpta exotica is a hover fly in the family Syrphidae.  Larvae are often predators of aphids.  Their life cycle from egg to adults is around 15 days, with adults living for approximately 10 days. 
The fly is a female – its large compound eyes are dichoptic, not touching each other on top of the head.  Male hover flies (family Syrphidae) generally have holoptic eyes that meet on top of the head.  
A male Western Leafcutter Bee, Megachile perihirta (family Megachilidae) visits a Grindelia flowerhead.  
Leaf-cutter Bees, Megachile sp. (family Megachilidae) are stout-bodied, usually with pale hair on the thorax and stripes of white hairs on the abdomen.  Females usually have a triangular abdomen with a pointed tip, and males’ faces are covered with dense, pale hair.  Flight season is from May into September, with peak activity from June to August.  
Solitary females construct nests in tubular cavities, including hollow stems, tree holes, and abandoned beetle burrows in wood.  Many use holes drilled into wood, straws, or other manufactured tunnels.  Females cut pieces from leaves or flower petals for use in the construction of brood cells.  Most Megachile females are generalists when foraging for pollen.  Pollen is transported in dense scopae on the underside of the abdomen.

Photos of Western Leafcutter Bee (Megachile perihirta) · iNaturalist

Curious about the Pollinator Posts? 

Who created the Pollinator Posts?2025-12-09T10:27:17-08:00

The Pollinator Post is a photo journal created by May Chen, a local naturalist.  It started many years ago, as simple e-mails sharing the excitement of discovery with fellow hikers and gardeners.  The burgeoning readership eventually necessitated the creation of the Google Group, the Native Gardeners three years ago.  Now the journal has found a permanent home at our website, with easy access to all.  Let May guide you through the miniature world of the creepy crawlies, regaling you with the drama that is happening right under our noses.  Enjoy!

May likes to describe herself as a career volunteer.  She has been a docent at Martin Griffin Preserve in West Marin for more than 20 years.  Her passion for plants and insects has led her naturally to the study of pollination biology.  She has taught docent-training classes on pollination at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden.  As a volunteer with the Friends of Sausal Creek, May has helped in the native plant nursery and tended the BridgeView Pollinator Garden.  She enjoys exploring the East Bay parks and gardens, and shares her observations on the Pollinator Post.  

Because of her initial focus on pollinators, especially bees, May has titled her missives “Pollinator Post”.  However, over the years of observation, she realized that we should view the botanical world as an interconnected whole that embraces other plant-insect interactions that are often overlooked – e.g. predator/prey, decomposer/recyclers, host/parasites, each contributing to the health and stability of the collective.  Too often we are quick to judge insects as “good” or “bad”, ignoring their true roles in the ecosystem.  We need to understand these relationships if we were to be good stewards of our gardens, our farms and wild lands.

To see more of May’s work, see the following article and videos:

The Buzz in My Garden by May Chen, originally published in the Regional Parks Botanic Garden quarterly newsletter Manzanita in 2018

Life and Death on Milkweed

Life and Death on Silverleaf Lupine

How were the photos taken?2026-01-06T09:08:09-08:00

The photos in the older Pollinator Posts were taken with a series of Canon Power Shot point-and-shoot cameras with built-in macro capabilities.  Once May discovered the amazing convenience of the iPhone camera in 2019, she gave away all her other camera equipment.  Since then she has taken all her photos with her trusty iPhone 11Pro.  The close-ups are taken with a Sandmarc attachable 10X macro lens.  “Anybody with a cell phone can do it!”

 

There are countless other attachable macro lens available on Amazon, some as inexpensive as $30, that also work  well.  In fact, here’s one recommended by a bee enthusiast friend, Emil. The disadvantage of this lens, when compared to the Sandmarc, is that it clips on, and the clip could get in the way. 

In what area, locations, and when were the photos taken?2025-12-08T15:17:07-08:00

The photos in the Posts were taken in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area; they were taken at Crab Cove and Bay Farm Island in Alameda, Skyline Gardens and the Bridgeview Pollinator Garden in Oakland, Mendocino Park in Richmond, numerous sites in the East Bay Regional Park District, such as the Regional Parks Botanic Garden, and Inspiration Point, other open space areas in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. and occasionally at private gardens, among other locations..

The Pollinator Posts began on July 12, 2019. Post creation is paused at the end of each year, during the quiet time for insects, and resumes in the following spring.

How can the Posts help me garden for wildlife?2025-12-08T15:16:39-08:00

Browse the Posts to see what insects you might look for in your own garden on certain plants at a specific time of year. For example, you could search on “August”, and among the results you’ll see that you could be looking for leaf cutter bees on aster and, early in the morning, male longhorn bees sleeping on buckwheat or tarweed. If you have soap plant (aka soaproot) you might see the caterpillar of the western brown elfin butterfly, or dance flies.

Search on ‘pale swallowtail caterpillar” and you’ll see that it can be found on coffee berry, as can miner bees, hover flies, lady beetles, and more. Try it! Search on “clarkia,” “sunflower,” “gum plant,” or “acmon blue butterflies” and see what you discover!

How can I search the posts?2025-12-08T15:16:05-08:00

The search engine looks at every word in a post: you can search on an insect, such as caterpillar, a plant, like lupine, a month, or a location.

Can I use the photographs or text in these Posts?2025-12-08T15:15:11-08:00

The photographs and text in the Pollinator Posts are licensed as

CC BY-NC (Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial). Basically, this means that the content can be used by others as long as they properly attribute it to © May Chen, and use it for non-commercial purposes.

Thank you to…2025-12-09T10:28:01-08:00

May Chen, for allowing her work to be made available to the general public on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour’s website. 

David Faden, for solving the technical aspects of how to get the Posts, which were in an invite-only email Google Group, onto the Tour’s website. This was complicated, as you can see here.

Jeffrey Samorano, owner of Fearless Digital Journey, for integrating the posts into WordPress and making them functional and attractive.

Michael May, Clytia Curley, and Robin Mitchell for their help with earlier versions of this project. 

It was a pleasure working with all of them on this project. 

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