Pollinator Posts by May Chen

Near the Water Tank, the massive colony of Thistle Aphids, Brachycaudus cardui (family Aphididae)on the Cobweb Thistle, Cirsium occidentale continues to thrive without any sign of attending ants.  Note that the mature aphids have a large

Reminiscent of herbivores grazing on the plains of Serengeti, a large number of Skin Beetles, Anthrenus lepidus (family Dermestidae) are spread over the umbels of Cow Parsnip flowers, Heracleum maximum. Dermestidae are a family of Coleoptera (beetles)

Many more California Phacelia greet the morning with open flowers today.  The pale lavender flowers literally “unroll” from the tightly coiled cyme, from the base to the tip.   No flying insects visit the flowers

On this warm morning, several Click Beetles (family Elateridae) are feeding on the California Buttercup flowers, Ranunculus californicus.  Click Beetles are elongated, parallel-sided and usually bear backward projections on the side corners of the shield behind

Ooh, is that the “old man” Bee Fly, Geron sp. (family Bombyliidae) on a Wood Strawberry flower?  No, actually it’s a very similar-looking Bee Fly in the genus Apolysis.  It lacks the shiny, golden pubescence of Geron, and its

A Plant Bug, Irbisia sp. (family Miridae) perches on a  grass.   Mirid bugs are also referred to as plant bugs or leaf bugs.  Miridae is one of the largest family of true bugs in

A not-very-well-camouflaged Crab Spider greets the morning sun on a fresh floral umbel of Cow Parsnip, Heracleum maximum. Checking for fruit set behind a female flower of Oregon Manroot, Marah oreganus, I notice something yellow.

I stop by the Cobweb Thistle by the trail at the Backbone on which I have noticed intense ant activities,  The plant as matured somewhat, with the young leaves peeling away from the central stem.

The dozen or so Variable Checkerspot caterpillars, Euphydryas chalcedona (family Nymphalidae) on the California Bee Plant, Scrophularia californica continue to feed and molt, leaving frass and shed skins on the foliage.  They seem to be

At the edge of the trail at the Swale, a small patch of the ground-hugging Red Maids, Calandrinia menziesii (family Montiaceae) is blooming.  The five-petal flowers are deep pink-magenta with a satiny shine, and white

On the steep bank along the paved road to the radio tower, Woolly Mule’s Ears, Wyethia helenioides are blooming gloriously.   Peering into a young flowerhead, I discover something I have missed before  – the ray flowers

It is past noon by the time I return to the Steam Train entrance.  Temperatures have risen significantly, and there’s more insect activity around the patch of California Buttercups, Ranunculus californicus.  The sun-tracking flowerheads of

I am taking the shortest and easiest route to the Swale this fine morning.  It’s hard not to stop to admire this robust patch of Common Fiddleneck, Amsinckia intermedia along the paved road.   It’s

I scramble down the steep slope at the Backbone area to get a better look at this stunning red Indian Paintbrush, Castilleja affinis. The bright red flowers of the Indian Paintbrush, Castilleja affinis can be spotted from

Pacific Sanicle, also known as Pacific Snakeroot, is blooming in profusion along Skyline Trail from the Steam Train entrance.  Hardly anyone pays attention to this inconspicuous plant as its flowers are tiny.  It is in

The short stretch of Skyline Trail through Diablo Bend is a walk through purple paradise.   Silverleaf Lupine, Lupinus albifrons is blooming gloriously, to add to the unrivaled scenery with a view of Mt. Diablo. For

The Steam Train entrance to the Skyline Gardens is lit up with colors!  The California Poppy has finally opened its flowers on this sunny morning.   Half-hidden among the lupines is a spectacular flowerhead of

I stop by a Common Vetch, Vicia sativa that is teeming with ants.  There is but a single unopened flower bud; what is all the excitement about? An American Winter Ant, Prenolepis imparis is feeding

The caterpillars of the Variable Checkerspot butterfly, Euphydryas chalcedona are easy to spot – they tend to congregate on the top of the California Bee Plant, Scrophularia californica where they feed on the tender leaves.

A Winter Ant, Prenolepis imparis is reaching under the stamens of a Wood Strawberry flower. Fragaria vesca to access the nectary underneath.   Native to North America, the Winter Ants are generalist omnivores that nest

The Common Fiddleneck, Amsinckia intermedia along the paved road to the Water Tank is putting up quite a show. I still see an occasional male alates (winged reproductives) of the American Winter Ants, Prenolepis imparis

Three caterpillars of the Variable Checkerspot butterfly, Euphydryas chalcedon (family Nymphalidae) are basking on a leaf of California Bee Plant, Scrophularia californica.  While the larvae of this species tend to feed in aggregation, it is rather

Along Skyline Trail, the wood ferns, Dryopteris arguta on the moist banks are unfurling their fronds.   The young fiddleheads of Wood Fern appear to be covered with a plastic wrap that breaks up in

The five petals of of Common Fiddleneck, Amsinckia intermedia are fused into a tube for most of their length, then separating into broadly glaring, rounded lobes.   A bee fly’s eye view, looking down the throat