Pollinator Posts by May Chen

A large caterpillar of the Darker-spotted Straw Moth, Heliothis phloxiphaga (family Noctuidae) is feeding on a Coast Tarweed, Madia sativa.  Species Heliothis phloxiphaga – Darker-spotted Straw Moth – Hodges#11072 – BugGuide.Net It is not often

I pause at the California Phacelia that Spidey, the Red-backed Jumping Spider used to hunt on.  Sadly she has been absent for a while now, but her hunting pad has taken on new life.  Few

The Elegant Tarweed, Madia elegans rejoices in the fog and adorns herself with sparkling droplets. The tarweeds are covered with short, glandular hairs topped with globules of dark, sticky, tar-like exudates.  Moisture in the air is

I arrive at Siesta Gate at 9 am to find the garden still socked in with fog.  Maybe I should’ve stayed in bed? It’s lovely to walk in the fog on a summer day –

Close to Diablo Bend, I find these round, colorful blisters on some of the leaves of Calfornia Goldenrod, Solidago velutina ssp. californica.  This is what is visible on the underside of the leaves.  This is

Ooh, there’s a tiny odd looking insect on a Bay Tree leaf.  From the way it holds up its narrow wings vertically, I recognize it as a Planthopper in the genus Danepteryx (family Tropiduchidae).  Photos

A Flea Beetle, Alticus sp.(family Chrysomelidae) is feeding on the flowers of Nude Buckwheat, Eriogonum nudum.   Flea Beetles are in the largest subfamily (Alticinae) of the family Chrysomelidae, or Leaf Beetles.  The name Altica is derived

I take advantage of the cool morning to spend time with the tarweeds at Siesta Gate before their flowerheads close up.   A Plant Bug, Macrotylus essigi (family Miridae) is roaming a flowerhead of Elegant

The gall flies have been busy on the Silverleaf Lupines by the Steam Train entrance.  Just about every other leaflet on the plants have been galled. These fleshy structures are galls induced by the Leaf-fold-gall

A few Yellow-faced Bumble Bees are flying around the newly open Soap Plant flowers, occasionally landing to take nectar. Check out that long tongue!  It is soaking up the nectar at the base of the

Ooh, I can actually see a Painted Lady caterpillar, Vanessa cardui (family Nymphalidae) in its wispy silk nest on this Cobweb Thistle, Cirsium occidentale.   Several older nests on this plant have been previously predated.

A Comb-clawed Beetle (subfamily Alleculinae, family Tenebrionidae) is moving around on a blooming California Mugwort, Artemisia douglasiana. Comb-clawed Beetles (subfamily Alleculinae, family Tenebrionidae) are known for the comblike appearance of their claws (hind tarsi).  Their

What difference a day makes!  I arrive as Siesta Gate at 10 am to find it still shrouded in fog.  More of the Tarweeds are in bloom today.   To avoid being mired with the

A new Fruit Fly (family Tephritidae) on Coyote Brush!  The pattern on its picture wings are so busy it is hard to discern.  I snap a series of pictures as it moves around on the

I arrive early at Siesta Gate, just as the fog has lifted and the Elegant Tarweed, Madia elegans flowerheads are still open.  The species has apparently held its own in this little patch that it

An adult female Pacific Coast Tick, Dermacentor occidentalis (Ixodidae) is resting on the tip of a California Mugwort leaf, Artemisia douglasiana. This species is widely distributed throughout California.  The immature stages feed on rodents, especially squirrels,

There’s an air of excitement at a small hole at the edge of the trail.  Some Field Ants, Formica subpolita (family Formica) are gathered at the entrance to their nest.  I look just in time to see

Hoping for a cooler walk on this warm morning, I start early at 8:30 am and head south on Skyline Trail from Siesta Gate.  What a delight to see Farewell-to-Spring, Clarkia rubicunda in bloom!   Seeing the

A female parasitoid wasp has landed on an inflorescence of California Phacelia, Phacelia californica.  It is an old individual with frayed wings and a split ovipositor sheath (first I have ever seen).   It is

To avoid the excessive heat this afternoon, I choose to explore the shadier northern section of Skyline Trail.  Swarms of tiny insects hover over the California Phacelia, Phacelia californica at the Steam Train entrance.  Easily

Near Siesta Gate I come across an unusual sight – a bumble bee foraging on the flowers of Sticky Monkeyflowers, Diplacus aurantiacus.  I have only  observed this behavior once last year.  The floral tube of

It is about 4:30 pm when I reach the Soap Plants that are just beginning to bloom, attracting a swarm of Dance Flies.   Dance Fly swarm over blooming Soap Plant in late afternoon. –

In the early afternoon at Siesta Gate, an unfamiliar hover fly is hovering over the California Phacelia flowers, Phacelia californica.  A new species for the garden? A Syrphid expert on iNaturalist has helped identify it

It’s almost 4 pm when I am done walking the paved road at Siesta Gate.  While there’s still day light, I decide to swing over to the Steam Train entrance to check on the evening