Pollinator Posts by May Chen

Someone has invaded the foamy home of a Spittlebug on the shoot of an Oregon Gumweed, Grindelia stricta.  I often see Yellowjacket wasps patrol these foamy masses hoping to capture and feed on the nymphs inside.

Fred and I have come for our morning stroll at Bay Farm Island.  The path along the shoreline is lined with feral ornamentals and exotic weeds, but I am always hopeful that I’ll find interesting

The Wild Radish, Raphanus raphanistrum (family Brassicaceae) grows in abundance along the shoreline here.  While the plants are considered a common weed, I often find interesting insects on them. The Wild Radish, Raphanus raphanistrum is

Ah, first sunny afternoon after several days of cool and rainy weather!  It feels wonderful to be out walking again at Bay Farm.  It is windy, and I wonder if I’ll see much in terms

On the grassy slope along West Ridge Trail just south of Skyline Gate, the Common Vetch is starting to bloom.  While the flowers are not fully open, there is already a steady traffic of ants

California Blackberry, Rubus ursinus is blooming well along the side of West Ridge Trail.  This plant appears to be male, as its flowers have numerous stamens.  California Blackberry is dioecious, with male and female flowers

A pale female Conical Trashline Orbweaver, Cyclosa conica (family Araneidae) is resting head-down in the center of her orb web.  The bundles of wrapped prey carcasses on her trashline are a meager display – she

The day is forecast to be hot, with cleaner air in the higher elevations.  The West Ridge Trail of the Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park seems like an appealing choice for my ramble today.  Starting from

In the native plant garden at Crab Cove, the Flannel Bush, Fremontodendron californicum is blooming profusely, and yet there’s hardly any insect activity.  The quarterly journal of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) Fremontia was named after this plant.

A beautiful morning at Crab Cove. As is my usual habit, I first walk around the visitor center to check on the native plantings around the building.  Many plants are blooming nicely, but there doesn’t

I watch in disbelief as an Inchworm descends from a decrepit Buttercup flower by reaching out and landing with its true legs on a silk thread.  I have never seen an Inchworm do this, and

Although the worst of the heat wave is behind us, the days are still unseasonably warm for spring, with temperatures peaking in the high 70s.  I opt for the cool of the Reinhardt Redwood Regional

Relieved that the worst of the heat wave is over, I take a walk in a leafy neighborhood in Alameda, along Thompson Ave.  Although most of the plants in these gardens are non-native, I do

Pacific Sanicle, Sanicula crassicaulis is blooming in profusion along the northern section of Skyline Trail.   The perennial herb is best identified by its large leaves that are divided into a few deep lobes and

Tucked among the Silver-leaf Lupine and other vegetation, the Narrow-leaf Mule Ears, Wyethia angustifolia is putting on its own show.   Mule Ears (Wyethia spp.) features large, solitary or few, sun-like yellow flowerheads, 2-3 inches

I am excited to meet a new friend today.  Noor, a volunteer with the Skyline Gardens has asked if she could join me on a walk.  We have arranged to meet at the small park

I visit Stefanie’s garden in San Leandro this morning.  It is well-tended and easy to access, and Stefanie’s choice of native plants usually attract a great diversity of insects.  To me, her garden is a

A Mason Wasp, Ancistrocerus bustamente (family Vespidae, subfamily Eumeninae) is flying low over the Coyote Brush, Baccharis pilularis, stopping occasionally to investigate around the foliage, apparently hunting for prey. Potter wasps (or mason wasps), the Eumeninae, are

Remember this picture from 3/8/26?  It is an Oblique Streaktail, Allograpta obliqua (family Syrphidae) lapping up honeydew from Coyote Brush foliage.  I have wondered out loud what those whitish objects under the hover fly’s thorax might

The morning is still young after I helped Tea with her project at Crab Cove.  I decide to visit the native garden at the other end of the park. The Cleveland Sage, Salvia clevelandii is

I met Tea, a professional gardener at a native plant event recently, when she showed me how to thoroughly remove the invasive Bermuda Buttercups, Oxalis pes-caprae from the garden.  Tea has since asked if I

Fred and I come to Bay Farm for our usual walk.  The level paths are non-taxing, and we enjoy the wide open sky, but I wish there were more native vegetation to look at.  The

The Giant Trillium, Trillium chloropetalum are in bloom.  I gently part the sturdy petals of some flowers, hoping to see insects inside.  Nada.  The pollination of these dramatic flowers remains a mystery to me.  

It’s a bright sunny morning – time to visit the Regional Parks Botanic Garden again! Female catkins hang gracefully from a Coast Silk Tassel, Garrya elliptica.  While the bunches of brown fruits from last year