Pollinator Posts by May Chen

I take a walk at Crab Cove this sunny morning.   I make a quick stop at the butterfly garden at the end of McKay Ave.   A small dark Sweat Bee is foraging on

The sun hasn’t come out all day.  I decide to take an afternoon walk anyway – even if the insects are not out, the wide skies and open waters of Bay Farm Island will do

My friend and fellow bee enthusiast, Emil submitted some pictures of a female Red-footed Cuckoo Leafcutter to iNaturalist yesterday.  The bee was foraging on the flowers of Topped Lavender in a garden in Alameda.  

A windy afternoon at Bay Farm Island.  I walk the stretch of the trail along the shore that does not have any Grindelia, not expectIng to see any insects out in these conditions.   Surprise

Back at Shoreline Park on Bay Farm Island this calm morning, I am excited to explore the insect life of the Oregon Gumweed, Grindelia stricta again.  A large bumble bee is resting head down on

Air quality has improved significantly this morning, and I feel comfortable exploring the shoreline of Bay Farm Island again.   The Summer Longhorn Bees, Melissodes sp. (family Apidae) are swarming over the Oregon Gumweed, Grindelia stricta in glorious bloom.

I wander the restored upper dunes of Alameda Beach this fine morning.  The place is ablaze with blooming Buckwheats (Eriogonum) and Coastal Sagewort (Artemisia pycnocephala).  Despite the profusion of flowers, the diversity of insects visiting

It’s a bright sunny morning at Crab Cove.   The Sneezeweed, Helenium puberulum is blooming profusely near the visitor center, the odd globular flowerheads on naked stalks waving in the breeze.  It is amazing that

My walks along the shoreline of Bay Farm Island have become infinitely more interesting ever since the Oregon Gumweed, Grindelia stricta has come into bloom.  Grindelia’s flowers have triggered an explosion of insect activity around

I walk the path along the shore at Bay Farm Island this clear, warm morning. The Oregon Gumweed, Grindelia stricta is in bloom and abuzz with insect life.   A Cellophane Bee, Colletes sp. (family

I seek clean air and coolness at the Padre Picnic Area in Tilden Regional Parks this morning.   The place looks quite different from the last time I visited.  The vegetation has all turned brown.

A small, chunky fly lands momentarily on a leaf.  iNaturalist has helped identify it as a Tiger Fly, Coenosia tigrina (family Muscidae). The Tiger Fly, Coenosia tigrina (family Muscidae) is also known as Hunter Fly or Killer

The night-blooming flowers of Datura are fast fading in the morning heat.  There doesn’t seem to be any bee activity on these giant moth-pollinated flowers today.  But look, there’ a tiny insect near the tip

I arrive at the East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden early this morning while it is still cool, in the hopes of avoiding insect pandemonium when the temperatures rise. There are already insects buzzing around

All the insect activity in the native garden at Crab Cove is concentrated around the buckwheats right now.  In the far end of the garden by the Crown Memorial Beach parking lot, I stand by

I am back at Crab Cove for an afternoon walk with Fred.   The large shrubs of St. Catherine’s Lace, Eriogonum giganteum near the visitor center are a center of insect activity right now.  The

I scan for insects on the plants that spill onto the salt marsh beyond the neighbors’ private gardens.  These predominantly non-native ornamentals add some welcome color along the trail.  Hey, look, the petals of those

The blooming Oregon Gumweed, Grindelia stricta brightens up a gloomy, sunless morning at the salt marsh south of the Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary, Alameda.   A small Weevil (family Curculionidae) is roaming the florets on

Lavender seems to be a very popular garden plant in this residential neighborhood of Alameda.  Here a male Summer Longhorn Bee, Melissodes sp. (family Apidae) is taking nectar from one of the inconspicuous flowers on

I am taking my walk in a leafy neighborhood in south eastern Alameda.  Just about all plants in the gardens here are non-native ornamentals.  I am curious to see what kind of insects live here. 

This robust, sprawling patch of Everlasting Pea, Lathyrus latifolius has been blooming for a while along the shore, but I never seem to see much insect activity on these showy flowers.   The plant is

I next move on to Bay Farm Island and walk a short stretch of the trail along Shoreline Park.  I am glad that the park has left some of the Bristly Oxtongue, Helminthotheca echioides in

I take my walk this morning in a leafy neighborhood of Alameda.  Most of the gardens along Thompson Ave. are planted with non-native ornamentals, but sometimes I do come across some nice insect surprises.  

The Oregon Gumweed, Grindelia stricta on the upper salt marsh have come into bloom. I am assured of a good morning “bugging” here! A male Western Leafcutter Bee, Megachile perihirta (family Megachilidae) is foraging on