Pollinator Posts by May Chen

It’s a cool, calm morning at Shoreline Park on Bay Farm Island.  The yellows of the Grindelia flowers have given way to the reds of the Fleshy Russian Thistle, Salsola soda along the shoreline.  

Another beautiful morning by the bay.  I am picking up exactly where I left off yesterday afternoon, walking along a rather dry stretch of Shoreline Trail with only the tough native Telegraphweed, Heterotheca grandiflora  in

Although it is not our preference, Fred and I have come to Bay Farm for a rather late walk at 3:15 pm.  The cool breezes from the bay makes the afternoon heat tolerable.  I wonder

The Oregon Gumweed, Grindelia stricta along the shoreline of Bay Farm Island is winding down its season.  I see fewer fresh flowers everyday.   While there are fewer large insects to find among the Grindelia,

The day is forecast to be windy with high fire risk, but the morning seems calm and pleasantly sunny.  I figure I should go for a walk at Bay Farm while the going is good.

Before I even ring Stefanie’s doorbell, I have already found the Praying Mantis egg case on the Manzanita in her front yard.  Stefanie has recently told me that the ootheca was discovered by the pruning

Most of the Oregon Gumweed, Grindelia stricta along the shoreline have gone to seed.   Unlike many members of the sunflower family Asteracea, the seed heads of Grindelia are not the adorable fluffy puffballs.  Grindelia

A female Margined Calligrapher, Toxomerus marginatus (family Syrphidae) lands on a blade of grass.   Toxomerus marginatus, also known as the Margined Calligrapher is a common species of hoverfly found in North America.  These are

I am thrilled to find a female Summer Longhorn Bee, Melissodes sp. (family Apidae) foraging on a Grindelia flowerhead.  With the plant fast fading along the shoreline, the specialist longhorns who are dependent on the

Another beautiful fall day at Shoreline Park, Bay Farm Island.  I barely got the the trail when I spot a female Western Leafcutter Bee, Megachile perihirta (family Megachilidae) out foraging on the Oregon Gumweed, Grindelia

An Orange Sulphur butterfly is taking nectar from a flowerhead of Oregon Gumweed, Grindelia stricta in a field of mostly faded flowers.  These butterflies always perch with their wings tightly closed.   The Orange Sulphur, Colias

It’s time to pay a visit to the East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Gardens in the Berkeley hills.   Insect activity has quieted down considerably.  A scruffy Skipper butterfly (family Hesperiidae) is taking nectar from

A Common Checkered-Skipper, Burnsius communis (family Hesperiidae) lands on the leaf litter by the trail.   Because of its small size, bluish color, and spread-wing posture, the butterfly is often mistaken for one of the

Another beautiful morning at Shoreline Park, Bay Farm Island. Barely a glint on the Grindelia flowerhead, the tiny shiny jumping spider is by now instantly recognizable as the Buttonhook Leafbeetle Jumping Spider or the Grapevine

I visit Skyline Gardens this afternoon, walking the stretch of Skyline Trail between the Steam Train entrance and Siesta Gate.  There is little in bloom now, but I am curious about the insect life on

A male Western Leafcutter Bee, Megachile perihirta (family Megachilidae) lands on a Grindelia flowerhead.  It is startling to see how tenuously his abdomen is connected to his thorax.  The narrow section between the thorax and

After a crazy week of brutal heat, Fred and I are happy to resume our daily walk at Shoreline Park on Bay Farm Island this morning.   Numerous small insects are dancing low over the

Anticipating a hot day, I seek the coolness of Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park in the Oakland hills this morning. I barely left the parking lot when I encounter numerous small insects swarming over the leaf

A Western Aphideater, Eupeodes fumipennis (family Syrphidae) has landed on a flowerhead of Bristly Oxtongue, Helminthotheca echioides.   The hoverfly is found in western North America, mostly seen March through October.  As the common name

Avoiding the extreme heat and poor air quality, I have not visited the Shoreline Park at Bay Farm Island for the past few days.  I arrive early today to avoid the heat, curious to see

The black-and-yellow pattern on the abdomen of that hover fly is so distinctive one can identify it immediately.   It is the Oblique Streaktail, Allograpta obliqua (family Syrphidae). Close-up of the same fly.   The Oblique Streaktail,

Fred and I are taking our regular walk at Shoreline Park on Bay Farm Island this afternoon.   The first insect I spot is this pollen covered Summer Longhorn Bee, Melissodes sp. (family Apidae) resting

In Stefanie’s backyard, a tiny spider is running on the ray petals of a Bush Sunflower, Encelia californica.  I am ready to call it a Zebra Jumper, until I notice that it has pale translucent legs,

It’s been a while since I last visited Stefanie’s home garden in San Leandro.  I wonder how it is faring in the fall? Huge bunches of ripe berries droop on the large Blue Elderberry in