I got up around 6:00 am, and was out the door around 6:45 to head out to Mather Lake Regional Park. There are a few more wildfires started up, so we’re getting air quality alerts again. Not too bad: 102 AQI (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)
When I arrived at the park the sun was just starting to come up over the horizon, and the first thing I saw was movement on the surface of the lake. I thought, “oooo, muskrat!”, but then I realized there was more than one thing moving in the water.
It was a raft of FIVE RIVER OTTERS!
Three of the five North American River Otters, Lontra canadensis
I was one of two people with a camera on the shore, and the other guy spotted the otters about the same time I did. He rushed down one side of the lake, and I “rushed” (which is hard with a cane) down another. The male photographer was moving so fast, he startled the otters and they turned my way. It was hard to get photos of them because the rising sun was behind them for the most part, but I did get a tiny bit of video of the otters when they lifted up in the water to look at a fisherman near the water’s edge. So cool!
I caught glimpses of a Belted Kingfisher that was flying between the trees, but it wouldn’t sit still anywhere long enough for me to get photos of it. When I watched a Double-Crested Cormorant flying over the water, its flight path was interrupted by a Green Heron who then lighted on the twiggy remnants of a submerged log. Even though the heron was pretty far away, I was able to get a couple of photos of it…and the small turtle sitting on a rock near the twigs.
Green Heron, Butorides virescens
I also saw my “spirit bird”, a Black Phoebe. It was flitting back and forth from snags over the water and back again. On one trip, it caught an insect midair, then returned to snag to swallow it down.
Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
There were a lot of Pied-Billed Grebes in the water, adults and juveniles, all of them swimming and fishing among rafts of water vegetation. The Mute Swans were all about, of course, along with the geese. I also saw small flocks of Bushtits and Lesser Goldfinches. I heard California Quail and Northern Flickers, but couldn’t catch sight of them. It was nice to see and hear the familiar song of White-Crowned Sparrows who are just now starting to migrate back into the area.
White-Crowned Sparrow,Zonotrichia leucophrys
Blue damselflies were still decorating the plants at the water’s edge, but their numbers are dwindling. And I only saw two dragonflies. There were lots of midges in the air, and I was also aware of the mosquitoes today (having pretty much missed them otherwise this year).
I walked for about 3 hours, and then headed back home.
Species List:
American Bugleweed, Water Horehound, Lycopus americanus
Anna’s Hummingbird, Calypte anna
Argentine Ant, Linepithema humile
Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon
Bishop Pine, Pinus muricata [fascicles of TWO needles]
Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
Brewer’s Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus
Bushtit, American Bushtit, Psaltriparus minimus
California Ground Squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi
California Quail, Callipepla californica [heard]
California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
Common Spike-Rush, Eleocharis palustris [has a head somewhat like SB Sedge]
Cottonwood Petiole Gall, Poplar Petiole Gall Aphid, Pemphigus populitransversus
Coyote Brush, Baccharis pilularis
Desert Cottontail Rabbit, Sylvilagus audubonii
Double-Crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auratus
European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
Familiar Bluet Damselfly, Enallagma civile
Fremont’s Cottonwood, Populus fremontii
Great Egret, Ardea alba
Great-Tailed Grackle, Quiscalus mexicanus
Green Heron, Butorides virescens
House Finch, Haemorhous mexicanus
Killdeer, Charadrius vociferous
Largemouth Bass, Micropterus salmoides
Lesser Goldfinch, Spinus psaltria
Mallard duck, Anas platyrhynchos
Mosquito, Common House Mosquito, Culex pipiens
Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
Mute Swan, Cygnus olor
Narrowleaf Cattail, Cattail, Typha angustifolia
Narrowleaf Willow, Salix exigua
Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus [heard]
Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos
Pacific Forktail Damselfly, Ischnura cervula
Pied-Billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps
Red-Eared Slider Turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans
Red-Winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus
River Otter, North American River Otter, Lontra canadensis
Soft Rush, Juncus effusus
Tule, Common Tule, Schoenoplectus acutus
Tule Bluet Damselfly, Enallagma carunculatum
White-Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys
Willow Bead Gall Mite, Aculus tetanothrix
Willow Herb, Epilobium brachycarpum [tiny pink flowers, seeds almost like soaproot]
Willow Pinecone Gall midge, Rabdophaga strobiloides
I got up around 7:00 am and headed out to the American River Bend Park for a walk. By the time I got there it was really already too late and getting too warm to start a walk, so I kept my visit kind of short.
Sulphur Shelf Fungus, Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf, Laetiporus gilbertsonii
Between seasons at the park, there’s not a whole lot to see right now, but I did get a glimpse of deer and some lovely looking sulphur shelf fungus when I first came through the gate. There were no migrating waterfowl on the river, but there were plenty of fishermen and some kayakers. One of the fisherman had caught a large Chinook salmon and was filleting it when I walked by him, the bright silvery fish in the water at his feet, its rose-orange flesh in his hands.
Fisherman filleting a Chinook Salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, he caught on the American River
The Acorn Woodpeckers are busy filling up and protecting their granary trees. I got to see a couple of Red-Shouldered Hawks and a Cooper’s Hawk as they lighted on branches to rest for a moment before flying off again. Along the riverside, I saw several Turkey Vultures, some of them battling for fragments of salmon the fishermen discarded. I also came across a large flock of Wild Turkeys.
Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura
When I sat at one of the tables in the picnic area, I saw several Oak Titmice and Western Bluebirds. There was also as mall swarm of Yellowjackets chewing on something on the ground. I tried to get a close look at what they were so excited about, but it just looked like wood chips to me. Maybe there was something on it that I couldn’t see… Or maybe they were gathering wood-material for their nest? Not sure.
Yellowjacket, Western Yellowjacket, Vespula pensylvanica
I was out there for about 2 hours and then headed back home. I hadn’t taken any pain pills before leaving the house, so I was hurting by the time I got back.
Species List:
Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
California Buckeye Chestnut Tree, Aesculus californica
California Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly, Battus philenor hirsuta
California Pipevine, Dutchman’s Pipe, Aristolochia californica
I got up around 6:00 this morning, and headed out the door about 6:30 am to join my friend and fellow naturalist, Roxanne, for a walk at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery. It was relatively cool outside, around 63°, and fairly clear. The air quality go worse later in the afternoon, though. 152 AQI (Unhealthy). We stopped to get some coffee and a breakfast biscuit on the way.
As we got near the hatchery turn out, I mentioned that I’d read about a park that was supposed to be on Lake Natoma on the side of the street opposite the hatchery, the Nimbus Flat State Recreation Area/ Lake Natoma. I’d driven by the entrance once, but had never checked it out before, so we stopped there before going to the hatchery itself.
Lake Natoma
According to Recreation.gov: “Recreation at Lake Natoma is managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation under agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation. The Lake was created by Nimbus Dam across the American River. Lake Natoma is a regulating reservoir for releases from Folsom Lake. The Dam and Lake are features of the Central Valley project…”
Lake Natoma is a small lake along the lower American River, between Folsom and Nimbus Dams in Sacramento County. The lake has 500 surface acres of water. There are paved trails for jogging and bicycling, and unpaved trails for hikers and equestrians. A dense 14 mile long riparian ecosystem encircles the lake. Although fishing is a big pastime here, it’s generally “catch and release” because there is a high concentration of mercury in the fish here.
Because we were trying to save time to get over to the hatchery, we didn’t spend as much time at the rec area as we might have, and didn’t cover much of the trails. We’re between seasons right now, so the park wasn’t showing itself off to its full potential, but I could absolutely see how intriguing it might be in the late fall, winter and early spring.
Gray Pine, Pinus sabiniana
The lake surface was pretty much devoid of birds, but we did see a flock of gulls and what looked like a hybrid goose. Migrations are just starting, so hopefully there will be more birds on the water over the next few months. There were Canada Geese and Wild Turkeys on the shore and the part of the trail we covered. We heard a few other birds, but had trouble finding and photographing them.
In the water there were quite a few swimmers, many with swim buoys trailing from their backs. Besides providing them with a little protection –- the colorful buoys make the swimmers more visible in the open water – they also provide some drag, which helps to strengthen the swimmers as they work to pull the buoys along with them. We also saw some kayakers and paddle-boarders on the water.
Kayakers on the water
Throughout the riparian forest there were lots of cottonwood trees, oak trees, gray pines and alders with a smattering of sycamore, redbud and wattle trees throughout. Occasionally, we saw oddities – like a juniper tree growing on the side of the lake.
Some of the alder trees seemed to have very swollen portions on their limbs and one had some kind of dark ooze weeping out of it. So many different pathogens can cause this kind of damage, it’s hard for a lay person like me to correctly identify the cause. I thought at first that some of the swellings were in response to mistletoe, but not all of the trees had mistletoe on them.
There’s an invasive pathogen called Phytophthora alni uniformis that only attacks alders. P. uniformisis indigenous to North America. “…Symptoms are typical of Phytophthora root and collar diseases on broadleaved trees. This includes sparse foliage with abnormally small yellow leaves, dieback and canker at the base of the main stem… Black exudates ooze from spots across the canker surface. These tarry spots turn to a rust color with time…” I don’t know if that’s what we were seeing, but it sounds close.
In one area along the trail, there were large piles of leaves, twigs, chopped up branches and seed pods. We assumed that the workers whose job it is to clean up the place, were piling up the cuttings until they could be burned or hauled away. Everything was dried out and the different shapes, textures and colors were actually quite pretty to look at; very “autumnal”.
There were some Lesser Goldfinches in among the debris, picking off smaller seeds and fluff. We also saw a lot of Variegated Meadowhawk dragonflies in there, resting on the twiggy branches.
After we were done with our cursory walk at the rec area, we went over to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery. There wasn’t a lot to see there because so much construction is underway there right now.
In 2018, the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) approved funding for a three-part construction project to take place at the hatchery. The two-year project was supposed to involve the construction of a fishway from the Nimbus Fish Hatchery to the stilling basin below Nimbus Dam and removing the existing diversion weir. The fishway would consist of three sections: a concrete flume fishway, a pool and drop fish ladder, and a rock-lined trapezoidal channel.
“…The changes will also minimize American River flow fluctuations associated with installation and removal of the hatchery’s weir and eliminate health and safety concerns relative to the deterioration of the existing weir structure. The new spawning habitat opened up by the permanent removal of the weir will improve juvenile salmon production and increase harvest opportunities downstream… First, the fish passageway extension will be built. Second, operations and assessments of the passageway will take place before removing outdated facilities. Lastly, although not necessary, the removal of the existing weir would be considered by Reclamation once the new passageway is deemed successful for two seasons…”
Well, the whole project was supposed to be done by October of this year, but it looked to me like they left all of the work until the last minute. I don’t know how they’ll get it all done before the salmon spawning season starts next month. They were still digging the trenches for the fishway.
At the same time this major work is taking place, they’re also working on building an improved open-air theatre near the visitor’s center and a new boardwalk and viewing platform near the end of the trail. We walked right by where they were working on the theater, but couldn’t get to where the viewing platform is going to be because fences had been erected to keep people out.
Because of all of the noise and personnel, there were only a handful of birds along the river in the area. I think we saw two Great Egrets, one Great Blue Heron, a handful of gulls, a single Green Heron, and a Black Phoebe. No migrating waterfowl.
Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias
We saw a couple of Double-Crested Cormorants perched on the wire across the river, what Cornell calls a “diurnal loafing site”. Hah! While we watched them, the adult sat down then stood up next to the juvenile, doing its “gular flutter” thing, when it opens its mouth and causes the orange gular skin on its throat to vibrate.
“…Gular flutter supplements evaporation due to respiration, and involves a rapid vibration of the moist membranes of the gular region, driven by the hyoid…”
While the adult bird had its mouth open, you could see some of blue coloring inside the mouth and throat. This color increases to a brilliant blue during the breeding season.
Double-Crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auratus
We did catch glimpses of some of the early-arrival Chinook Salmon; their humped backs and dorsal fins came up on occasional swells across the water’s surface. At the hatchery, all of the salmon and trout runs were closed. We think they were flushing out the runs and taking the opportunity of the closure to clean them up before putting new salmon and trout fry in them later in the year. It will be interesting see, in another few months, if the hatchery is actually able to do any of their spawning work there this year.
Overall, I think we were out walking for about 3½ to 4 hours. Phew!
By about 11 o’clock, though, it was getting too warm for me outside, and I had to head back to the car. It seemed like the last 10 or 15 feet was almost impossible for me to get through. All I could feel was the heat coming off the asphalt in the parking lot. I was starting to overheat, and getting kind of light-headed. I made it, though, and Rox turned up the AC in the car to help cool me off. (She takes good care of me.)
Species List:
Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus [heard]
Alder Tongue, Western American Alder Tongue Gall Fungus, Taphrina occidentalis
Alder Tree Pathogen, Phytophthora alni uniformis
Armenian Blackberry, Rubus armeniacus
Ashe Juniper, Juniperus ashei [white berries]
Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon [saw one on a bridge]
Black Locust Tree, Robinia pseudoacacia
Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
Blue Elderberry, Sambucus nigra cerulea
Brewer’s Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus
California Fuchsia, Epilobium canum
California Ground Squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi
California Pipevine, Dutchman’s Pipe, Aristolochia californica
California Sycamore, Platanus racemose
California Towhee, Melozone crissalis
California Wild Grape, Vitis californica
Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
Chinook Salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha [in the river]
Coffeeberry, California Buckthorn, Frangula californica
Common Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos
Common Green Lacewing, Chrysopa coloradensis [eggs]
Common Madia, Madia elegans [yellow flowers, some with red staining near center, smells like lemon]
Cottonwood Leaf Gall Aphid, Pemphigus populivenae
Coyote Brush, Baccharis pilularis
Dallis Grass, Dallisgrass, Paspalum dilatatum
Double-Crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auratus
Doveweed, Turkey Mullein, Croton setiger
Fennel, Sweet Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare
Field Bindweed, Convolvulus arvensis
Fig, Common Fig, Ficus carica
Flat-Topped Honeydew Gall Wasp, Disholcaspis eldoradensis
Fremont’s Cottonwood, Populus fremontii
Fuzzy Gall Wasp, Disholcaspis washingtonensi [round faintly fuzzy galls on stems]
Gold Dust Lichen, Chrysothrix candelaris
Goodding’s Black Willow, Salix gooddingii
Gray Pine, Pinus sabiniana
Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias
Great Egret, Ardea alba
Green Heron, Butorides virescens
Hollyleaf Cherry, Prunus ilicifolia
Hutton’s Vireo, Vireo huttoni
Interior Live Oak, Quercus wislizeni
Interior Sandbar Willow, Salix interior
Killdeer, Charadrius vociferous
Lesser Goldfinch, Spinus psaltria
Little Rattlesnake Grass, Little Quaking Grass, Briza minor
Live Oak Erineum Mite gall, Aceria mackiei [kind of looks like rust on the backside of the leaf]
Live Oak Gall Wasp, 1st Generation, Callirhytis quercuspomiformis [spiky ball]
Mallard duck, Anas platyrhynchos
Mistletoe Gall, caused by Mistletoe haustorium growing on a tree
Mistletoe, American Mistletoe, Big Leaf Mistletoe, Phoradendron leucarpum
Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
Narrowleaf Willow, Salix exigua
Netted Crust Fungus, Byssomerulius corium
Northern Catalpa, Indian Bean Tree, Catalpa speciosa
Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii [heard]
Oak Apple Gall Wasp, Andricus quercuscalifornicus
Pale Jumping Spider, Colonus hesperus
Panicled Willowherb, Epilobium brachycarpum
Poison Oak, Pacific Poison Oak, Western Poison Oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum
Puncture Vine, Tribulus terrestris
Purpletop Vervain, Verbena bonariensis
Pyracantha, Firethorn, Pyracantha coccinea
Red Cone Gall Wasp, Andricus kingi
Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
Rock Greenshield Lichen, Flavoparmelia baltimorensis
Ruptured Twig Gall Wasp, Callirhytis perdens
Silver Wattle, Acacia dealbata
Spiny Turban Gall Wasp, asexual, fall generation, Antron douglasii
I got up around 6:00 this morning and was out the door by about 6:30 to go over to the Cosumnes River Preserve. It was 63° when I left and mostly cloudy. The cooler temperatures lasted until the late afternoon, but it felt a little humid.
When I got near the preserve, I drove down Bruceville and Desmond Roads to see if there were any interesting birds out there. I was hoping there would be some water on the preserve now that the migrations have started, but the place still nearly bone dry. Only one of the fields along Desmond was partially filled, and only a small pond on the preserve itself had water in it. So, that was something of a disappointment. But I DID get to see some things I wasn’t expecting to see.
Tricolored Blackbird, Agelaius tricolor
Along Bruceville Road there was a large covey of quail, some Great Egrets, and several cottontail rabbits. But the big surprise was a large flock of Tricolored Blackbirds, Agelaius tricolor, this morning! One even landed on a fence near my car, so I was able to get some video of it preening.
“Trikes”, as they’re endearingly referred to, are visually very similar to Red-Winged Blackbirds in that they are also black with red epaulets on their shoulders. But the Trikes’ epaulets are rimmed with white feathers, not yellow like those of the Red-Wings.
Already listed as Endangered by the IUCN-World Conservation Union, the species has been a candidate for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), as well as California’s state ESA. It was given temporary “endangered” status in 2015 but that was only for 6 months and has since expired. As it stands, right now the species is still considered “threatened”. Further consideration of an “endangered” status was dumped when Trump and his crew took over the White House and the Department of the Interior.
In the same area as the Trikes, there was a pair of Brewer’s Blackbirds. The female had what looked like nesting material in her beak, and she was pursued by a male who strutted and postured and cheeped behind her. I got a little bit of video, but it wasn’t in the sharpest focus…and it didn’t help that a car drove past, obscuring my view. Still, the male’s display was so “cute”, I wanted to preserve it.
According to Cornell: “…n resident and many migratory populations, pair formation begins as gradual process in late-winter… As courtship progresses, female initiates Generalized Display, which merges imperceptibly with Pre-copulatory Display, a more fully expressed version of the former with more crouched posture, tail held at higher angle, and accompanied by different call. In both displays, body tipped forward on flexed legs with breast lowered toward ground, bill slightly raised, wings lowered and rapidly shivered while unspread tail is cocked… Male Pre-coitional Display given just prior to mounting and copulation. Feather ruffing more conspicuous than in male Song-spread, bill pointed downward, and yellow eyes bordered by fluffed violet feathers of head appearing prominent. Position of tail and wings more exaggerated than in Song-spread. In this posture, male deliberately approaches female, and if on ground sometimes makes half-circle in strutting motion. Wing and tail feathers scrape ground. Approach sometimes silent, other times accompanied by 1 of the 2 song forms…”
Brewer’s Blackbirds are “seasonally monogamous”, and I’m sure I was seeing the work and displays of a pair bond.
Among the bindweed along the side of the road, I found a new-to-me kind of stinkbug called a Conchuela Bug, Chlorochroa ligata. It’s black with an orange border. When I picked it up to get closer photos of it, it pooped out some of its stink-fluid, staining my index finger top orange. The smell was pretty gross, but it dissipated relatively quickly.
Conchuela Stink Bug, Chlorochroa ligata
The trees along Desmond Road and around the preserve are still covered in galls, but it’s near the end of the season, so many of the gall are empty and are shriveling away. The Flat-Topped Honeydew galls are going black with age, but some of them are still producing a little honeydew and still have a few ants in attendance. I wonder if, at this time of year, the honeydew has fermented or if the sugary substance has promoted some fungal development. The Convoluted galls and Yellow Wig galls are now much larger than they have been as the larvae inside develop and pupate.
As an aside, I was excited to learn (later in the day) that Ron Russo has a new book coming out next year: Plant Galls of the Western United States. Woot!! The book covers 536 gall species with 232 species not previously included in any field guide. Double-woot! Russo’s last book is like the bible for us gall chasers, but it’s out of print now, and VERY expensive (anywhere between $80 and $200 depending on who has it). We’ve all been hoping the publishers would re-release it, but with this new book coming out that won’t be necessary — and maybe any copies of the original book will now drop in price. The new guide is due to be released in late March of 2021, and I’ve pre-ordered one through Amazon.com at the more reasonable price of $29.
While I was checking out the trees along the boat ramp trail, I saw something gray on one of the twiggy branches, and I got closer to investigate. I was overjoyed when I saw that it was a vase-like pot of a California Potter Wasp, Eumenes sp. I’ve seen photos before, but never a “live” one. The pots are perfect, beautiful little things.
Clay pot created by a Potter Wasp, California Potter Wasp, Eumenes sp.
The Potter Wasps are a species of solitary wasp that creates these pots to house their larvae. They make a pot out of mud and saliva, fill it full of spiders and caterpillars, lay an egg on the pile of food and then seal the pot shut. The larva develops and pupates, eating from the pantry mom left it, then when it’s a mature wasp, it pops the seal on the pot and climbs out. The pot I found was open and empty.
At the end of the boat launch trail, where there’s river access, I could see that part of the water was already clogged full of Water Hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes. Some of the river was still open, but the plants multiply quickly. It’ll only be a matter of time before that whole area is covered with the stuff. Some of the hyacinth was in bloom, and it’s actually quite pretty. Too bad it’s so horribly invasive.
Water Hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes
On other parts of the trail and on the side of the pond across from the nature center parking lot, I saw some Variegated Meadowhawk dragonflies. I also saw some Green Darners, including a mated pair that was flying around near the water’s edge. I lost them in the dried vegetation in the water, and just aimed my camera in the direction where I last saw them. I was VERY surprised when I got home to find that I’d actually gotten a photo of them, still connected, resting on the side of an old cocklebur plant. Sometimes, you get lucky.
Green Darner Dragonflies, Anax junius. Male on top, female below.
In that same pond, I was happy to see some shorebirds and waterfowl, early arrivals from the migrations, among the blackbirds and Brown-Headed Cowbirds. There were Killdeer, Black-Necked Stilts, a few Dunlin, and lots of Greater Yellowlegs. There were also some Mallards, and some small flocks of Northern Shovelers. It looked like all of the Shovelers were females, but closer inspection proved that there were males in there, too, but in their “eclipse” plumage.
Northern Shoveler, Anas clypeata, male in his “eclipse” plumage
“…Eclipse plumage is temporary or transition plumage. Ducks are peculiar in that they molt all their flight feathers; the long, wing feathers; at once. For about a month, they can’t fly and very vulnerable to predators. To provide some protection, particularly for the brightly-colored males, the molt starts with their bright body feathers. These are replaced by dowdy brown ones, making them look much like females. Once the flight feathers have regrown, the birds molt again, and by October the full colors are back and the various species of ducks are easily recognizable once more…”
You can tell the eclipsed adult males from the females by their bright yellow eyes.
So, although there weren’t a lot of birds to see, it was nice to see that they’re starting to move in. The biggest flocks of migrating birds should be here in December, but they’ll be trickling in from now until then.
I walked for about 3½ hours and then headed back home.
Species List:
Azolla, Water Fern, Azolla filiculoides
Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
Black-Necked Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus
Brewer’s Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus
Brown-Headed Cowbird, Molothrus ater
Bur Clover, Medicago polymorpha
Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis
California Quail, Callipepla californica
California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
California Wild Rose, Rosa californica
Chicory, Cichorium intybus
Club Gall Wasp, Atrusca clavuloides
Common Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos
Common Green Lacewing, Chrysopa coloradensis
Common Snowberry, Symphoricarpos albus
Common Sow-Thistle, Sonchus oleraceus
Conchuela Stink Bug, Chlorochroa ligata
Convoluted Gall Wasp, Andricus confertus
Coyote Brush, Baccharis pilularis
Coyote Brush Bud Gall midge, Rhopalomyia californica
Desert Cottontail Rabbit, Sylvilagus audubonii
Disc Gall Wasp, Andricus parmula [round flat, “spangle gall”]
Field Bindweed, Convolvulus arvensis
Flat-Topped Honeydew Gall Wasp, Disholcaspis eldoradensis
Fuzzy Gall Wasp, Disholcaspis washingtonensi [round faintly fuzzy galls on stems]
Goldenrod Bunch Gall, Goldenrod Floret Gall Midge, Solidago canadensi
Goldenrod, California Goldenrod, Solidago velutina californica
You must be logged in to post a comment.