Pollinator Posts by May Chen

A large Yellow-faced Bumble Bee, Bombus vosnesenskii (family Apidae) lands on a cluster of Manzanita flowers.  From her large size, I have no doubt that she is a queen.  She seems to have difficulty getting

I have not been to the Cascades since the beginning of the Covid pandemic.  It’s good to see that the Manzanitas have grown bigger and are blooming profusely.   For a winter-blooming flower in California,

With only a few hours of sun before the next rain sets in, I make a run for Joaquin Miller Park this morning.  Apparently no trees have fallen during the last storm.  The old dead

The California Bay, Umbellularia californica along Skyline Trail has been blooming continuously through the winter, rains not withstanding.  Keeping my eyes peeled, I am constantly on the lookout for its pollinators.   Who’s that lurking

With another series of rain in the forecast, I want to make sure I get in some outdoor time while I can.  Besides, it’s time to check on what’s new at the Skyline Gardens. Along

Much harder to photograph are the feisty Pacific Digger Bees, Anthophora pacifica (family Apidae).  These fast and noisy flyers buzz around the Rosemary plant, appearing to “hop” from flower to flower while foraging.  The chubby,

Along the main trail at the Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve, pools of water accumulate at the base of the hills, giving rise to healthy stands of Arroyo Willow, Salix lasiolepis.  Willow catkins appear before the

I am at the Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve for a morning walk.  At the parking lot my attention is drawn to the spectacular Coast Silk Tassel plant heavily draped with long dangling male catkins. The

Wait, is that some kind of Vespid Wasp on the Ceanothus flowers?   I zoom in and quickly realize that it is not a wasp at all.  Look at those eyes and the antennae!  Definitely

More numerous than the bumble bees at the blooming Manzanita are these gray, stout-bodied bees that fly around noisily.  They are the California Mountain-Digger Bees, Habropoda depressa (family Apidae).  Interestingly none of them seems to

I wind my way to the grove of shrubs that support a healthy stand of California Pipevine, Aristolochia californica.  It is too early in the season.  Most of the vines emerging from the ground are

Serendipitously I find my way to the raised bulb bed in the botanic garden.  There aren’t many things in bloom right now.  The most eye-catching are the attractive flowers of Shooting Stars, Primula sp. (formerly

This is the first clear, sunny day after the deluge from the atmospheric river that lasted days.  I sprint out the door and head to the East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Gardens after breakfast.  

Hello, who’s this draped over a stem of Coyote Brush?  It appears to be a Camel Cricket, a nocturnal insect in the family Rhaphidophoridae, order Orthoptera.  I’m not sure if the motionless insect is asleep

Taking advantage of a warm sunny day, I walk Skyline Trail south of Siesta Gate today, the section that I didn’t cover yesterday.  My focus is on the California Bay Laurel, Umbellularia californica, hoping to find

Counting on no rain today, I set out to explore the northern section of Skyline Trail, hoping to see some early blooms.   Soon after entering the cattle gate at the Steam Train entrance, I

There are several species of mosses within this small area along the trail.  See the dark patches that look like someone has spilled grease on the mosses?  Actually the dark patches are not mosses.  They

On this overcast winter day after a series of rains, I meet with a couple of friends for a short walk at Leona Canyon Open Space Regional Preserve up in the Oakland hills.  The restored

To avoid the muddy trails after the rains, I walk the paved road at Skyline Gardens this morning.  It is overcast and cold.  In the distance, Mt. Diablo appears as an island floating in a

A colony of little honey-colored mushrooms have sprouted from the old wood chips along the paved road.  They are likely to be Twiglets, Tubaria sp. (family Tubariaceae), often with the partial veil adhering to the margin.  

It wasn’t until I came back from a walk this afternoon that I noticed the bumble bees in my garden, buzzing around the blooming Manzanitas.  Most of them are Black-tailed Bumble Bees, of various sizes.

The mosses on the tree trunks are a vibrant green this morning.  We had almost an inch of rain at Skyline Gardens yesterday.  With high hopes of seeing termite swarms this warm, calm morning, I

With my eyes glued to the ground to avoid stepping on the termites , I discover a fresh hole at the edge of the trail, about the diameter of a penny.  It appears that soil

Skyline Trail at Siesta Nose is littered with termite wings.  What happened? I spot an occasional termite alate on the ground twisting and turning, contorting its body to the extreme.  Is it having difficulty launching