Pollinator Posts by May Chen

Ooh, what a treat to see a sparkling jewel of a bee foraging on the California Phacelia flowers, Phacelia californica.  It is a Mason Bee in the genus Osmia (family Megachilidae).  Osmia tends to have

Entering Skyline Gardens from the Steam Train entrance this sunny morning, I am greeted by a blooming Cobweb Thistle, Cirsium occidentale by the steps.  There seems to be some small insects in the flowerhead. That’s

A female Snakefly, Agulla sp. (family Raphidiidae) is perched on the flower buds of California Bee Plant, Scrophularia californica.   Snakeflies are a group of predatory insects comprising the order Raphidioptera.  They are a relict

In the dappled shade along Skyline Trail, the fruits of a female Osoberry, Oemleria cerasiformis are ripening in a delightful assortment of colors.The 1/2 inch fruit of Osoberry, numbering up to 5 per flower, start out

What a surprise and delight to see my old friend, the American Lady caterpillar.  It is back on its host plant, the California Everlasting, Pseudognaphalium californicum, the same one with the collapsed caterpillar nest.  The

A robust Deervetch, Lotus corniculatus (family Fabaceae) that has grown through the asphalt of the road near Siesta Gate is blooming gloriously.  A Yellow-faced Bumble Bee, Bombus vosnesenskii is working through the flowers with gusto.

A few small bees are flying around, visiting the California Bee Plant flowers.  Occasionally they would land on the foliage and spread eagle against the leaves to bask in the sunlight – a rather endearing

It’s been a while since I last explored the stretch of Skyline Trail from the Steam Train entrance.  I decide to make a visit this afternoon.   A Soft-bodied Plant Beetle, Dascillus davidsoni (family Dasciilidae)

1:07 pm.   Just about 50 steps uphill from Siesta Gate, I spot a parasitoid wasp moving around on an inflorescence of California Phacelia, Phacelia californica.  Having observed a female lay eggs only ten days

Further up the hill, I find another red-and-black wasp.  This one is considerably larger, and colored a deeper red than the Braconid wasps I have been observing earlier.  It is a female, as evidenced by

Sticky Monkeyflower, Diplacus aurantiacus is blooming gloriously along Skyline Trail overlooking the fog-shrouded Siesta Valley down below.     Hey, a day doesn’t go by now when I don’t find an Ant-mimic Plant Bug nymph,

It is still foggy in the hills when I get to Diablo Bend around noon. The Silverleaf Lupine, Lupinus albifrons is producing a healthy crop of pea pods, despite the low number of bumble bee

I have not expected the place to be so foggy and cold when I arrive at Siesta Gate at 9:30 am . Will I see anything in this fog?  Will photography be possible? A Convergent

2:30 pm.  A Small-headed Fly, Eulonchus sp. (family Acroceridae) is sheltering in a flower of the Sticky Monkeyflower, Diplacus aurantiacus.  As far as is known, all Acroceridae are parasitoids of spiders.  Not just any spiders,

Waiting for the clouds to clear, I don’t get to Siesta Gate until 2:30 pm.  A loud buzzing around a California Phacelia, Phacelia californica alerts me to the presence of a Digger Bee, Anthophora sp. (family

I check for the American Lady caterpillar that I found two days ago on the California Everlasting, Pseudognaphalium californicum.  It is not on the plant.  In fact, one major branches of the plant has collapsed,

I am glad I couldn’t make it to Skyline Gardens until late this afternoon.  If I have come earlier, I would’ve missed this special treat – the blooming of Soap Plant along Skyline Trail! Soap

The cloudy morning necessitates an afternoon outing again.    How time flies!  The Pacific Ninebark, Physocarpus capitatus is already in fruit!  The globular clusters of white flowers have been replaced by reddish 3 to 5-chambered

Wow, so fortunate to come across an American Lady caterpillar, Vanessa virginiensis (family Nymphalidae) feeding out in the open on a California Everlasting, Pseudognaphalium californicum.  For the past two weeks, I have been observing the half

A pair of Soldier Beetles, Cultellunguis americanus (family Cantharidae) is mating while moving around on an inflorescence of California Phacelia, Phacelia californica.  The female is dragging along the docile male lying on his back, looking rather uncomfortable.

After the light rain shower in the late morning, I decide to check for insect activity at the Skyline Gardens in the afternoon. Although it is still overcast, temperatures are in the 60’s, and many

Hey, I recognize that – it’s the Yellow-legged Wood Fly, Blera humeralis (family Syrphidae) I found for the first time a few days ago on Cow Parsnip! Hover Flies, also called Syrphid Flies make up the

It’s a few minutes before 4 pm, and a Small-headed Fly, Eulonchus sp. (family Acroceridae) has already settled down in its overnight roost – the floral tube of a Sticky Monkeyflower, Diplacus aurantiacus.  Note the

The golden flowers of the Sticky Monkeyflowers greet the morning sun along the paved road to the Radio Tower.  The white, two-lobed stigmas are very visible on these flowers, located right at the entrance to