Pollinator Posts by May Chen

Temperatures are in the high 40’s when I arrive at Siesta Gate this morning. The insects have not appeared on the California Barberry on the rocky hillock.  Not distracted by pollinator activities, I spend some

Popcorn Flowers, Plagiobothrys nothofulvus (family Boraginaceae) carpet the floor of the grassy slope at Diablo Bend, providing a beautiful backdrop for the blooming Silverleaf Lupines.   The flowers of Plagiobothrys nothofulvus generally bloom from February-April.  As in

It is a sunny, warm (almost 60 degrees F) afternoon at Skyline Gardens, and the trail is longer muddy.    A blaze of yellow beckons to me to a newly restored rocky hillside east of

A male alate (winged reproductive) of the American Winter Ant, Prenolepis imparis is perched on a flower cluster of Blue Dicks, Dipterostemon capitatus at Diablo Bend.  This is a second alate I have come across this

Some Blue Dicks, Dipterostemon capitates are blooming nicely at Diablo Bend, attracting some bees and flies.  A queen Yellow-face Bumble Bee pays a quick visit to the flowers, her weight causing the cluster to bend down

Backlit by the sun, dozens of little green aphids can be seen within the coiled flowerhead of a Common Fiddleneck, Amsinckia intermedia. It seems the flowerheads are the hub of aphid activity on this Common

The latest outpour of the atmospheric river has drenched Skyline Garden.  At Siesta Gate, sections of Grizzly Peak Blvd has water running on the surface.  The Silverleaf Lupine, Lupinus albifrons is still covered with rain

The weather this morning is a repeat of yesterday – cold and cloudy, with temperatures hovering around 50 F.  I don’t expect to see much insect activity, but surely this view from the paved road

What an unusual Miner’s Lettuce!  Probably the Red Miner’s Lettuce, Claytonia rubra?  Although the perfoliate leaf looks brown and parched, it is actually succulent to the touch!  It is not a senescent leaf, just colored

Along the paved road approaching the Water Tower, two big shrubs of Silverleaf Lupine, Lupinus albifrons are in glorious bloom.  A robust California Manroot, Marah fabacea has grown up through one of the bushes, sending out

The large Common Fiddleneck, Amsinckia intermedia that grows on the side of the paved road to the Water Tank looks less than happy this morning.  I notice a general white cast over the plant, and

On the side of Skyline Trail, this burrow has been neatly maintained by trimming the vegetation around the entrance.  The burrow is too big for most bees.  Maybe a False Tarantula, Calisoga longitarsis?    The Henderson’s

It must be Trilium time!  Best to explore the Skyline Gardens from the Stream Train entrance. A prolific patch of the Giant Trillium, Trillium chloropetalum greets me near the entrance.  Interestingly the plants occupy a

Along Bypass Trail near the Swale, an American Winter Ant, Prenolepis imparis is crawling over Erodium foliage on the ground.  I think I can now recognize the ant with reasonable confidence.  It is slightly larger

The fastest way for me to reach the Swale is via the paved road up the hill to the Water Tank. Yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers are unfurling from the scorpionoid coils of buds at the tips

Just when I think that I know where everything is along this familiar stretch of the Skyline Trail, I still continue to be surprised.  Take this beautifully constructed turret of a California Turret Spider, for

More flowers have appeared on the Silverleaf Lupine, Lupinus albifrons at Diablo Bend. But, better watch out.  Right by the trail, this Pacific Coast Tick, Dermacentor occidentalis is questing on an immature inflorescence of Silverleaf

It’s almost 10 am, but some hills are still shrouded in fog viewed from the paved road above Skyline Gardens.   A great way to start the day!  The Miner’s Lettuce, Claytonia perfoliata usually puts

Time to check on the Silverleaf Lupine, Lupinus albifrons along the Bypass Trail.  The blooming here appears to be a little more advanced than those at Diablo Bend.  It is gratifying to see that most

Hey, two different species of lady beetles on the Coyote Brush, Baccharis pilularis.  The one on the left is the common Convergent Lady Beetle, Hippodamia convergens.  To the right is a Three-banded Lady Beetle, Coccinella

I am taking a walk on the paved road to the Water Tank at Skyline Gardens on this beautiful, sunny afternoon.  Everything has greened up after all the rains, and the air is sparkling fresh.

To return faster to Siesta Gate, I get on the paved road at the EBMUD water tank.  Loud buzzing of bees can be heard from the big Rosemary bush at the gate. Native to the

It’s not my habit to visit the Skyline Gardens in the afternoon, but I am glad for a pause in the rains – time for a short walk in the afternoon sun.   The long,