The Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillars are Abundant at the River Bend Park, 05-24-23

I felt really good after doing the chores I did yesterday, and was looking forward to doing some exercise today with a walk at the American River Bend Park. Third or fourth visit there over the last month or so, but I always see something different every time I go there. It was a gorgeous morning, 51ºF, clear, sunny, and breezy.

The American River was still way up. Water covered most of the bank areas and swamped the trees. Some of the trails that led down to the bank, now led right to the water. According to the Department of Water Resources, releases from the Nimbus Dam are currently at 15,000 CFS. That’s up from 7,521 CFS just last month. Wow.

The first thing I saw when I drove into the park was a young buck in his velvet grazing along the side of the road. I later saw a couple more deer near the equestrian area. I also saw a few Black-Tailed Jackrabbits, Fox Squirrels and California Ground Squirrels. I was hoping to come across a coyote (as there were signs all over the park stating there is an active den in the park), but… no such luck.

I didn’t see a lot of birds, although I could hear them singing and moving through the trees overhead. I did see some Black Phoebes, and watched as a House Wren brought bright green caterpillars to her fledglings for breakfast. They’re such cute little birds. I also found an old hummingbird nest held to the forked branches of an oak tree with spider webs.

The river was running so fast, I only saw two waterfowl braving the current: a male Mallard and a female Common Merganser. Across the river in the the high naked branches of a tree were several Turkey Vultures sunning themselves.

The big news for me today was: I saw lots and lots of Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars ,in various instars, almost everywhere I looked. Although some had climbed up into the tall grass and Mugwort plants to warm themselves in the sunlight, I didn’t see any of them making themselves ready to form their chrysalises. CLICK HERE to see a video of the butterfly’s lifecycle.

I saw some of the butterflies flitting about, and was also able to catch a well-worn female to get some close-up photos of her. Her wings were ragged from dealing with males, winds, and the razor-edges of the grasses. As battered as she was, she was still very much a fighter. I took a few photos of her and released her back onto a pipevine plant.

In one of the photos above, you can see a caterpillar extending its bright, gooey, orange osmeteria. “…The everted organ resembles a fleshy forked tongue (not unlike a snake tongue)… [and emits] a foul, disagreeable odor which serves to repel ants, small spiders, and mantids…” It’s also said to have a foul taste.

The pipevine plants and Wild Grape plants were climbing along the ground and high into the trees. Some of the grapevines were already brandishing clutches of not fully formed “baby grapes”.

I was happy to see that the Orange Bush Monkeyflowers were out in force, as were the Elegant Clarkia flowers. I saw color variations from different shades of pink, to bicolored pink-on-pink, and pure snowy white.

Along with the common Oak Apple galls on the Valley Oak trees, I found a new-to-me gall on the leaves of an ash tree. There were a lot of shot-holes on some of the leaves, and on one leaf were hard little chambers that I believe were formed by the Ash Bead Gall Mite.

I was out for about 3 hours. This was hike #30 of my #52hikechallenge for the year.

Species List:

Acmon Blue Butterfly, Icaricia acmon
Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
Alder, White Alder, Alnus rhombifolia
Anna’s Hummingbird, Calypte anna [bird and nest]
Araneomorph Meshweaver Spider, Dictyna sp.
Ash Bead Gall Mite, Aceria fraxini
Ash Leafcurl Aphid, Prociphilus fraxinifolii
Ash Tree, California Ash, Fraxinus dipetala
Bees, Yellow-Faced Bumble Bee, Bombus vosnesenskii
Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
Black Walnut, Eastern Black Walnut, Juglans nigra
Black-Tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus californicus
Blue Elderberry, Sambucus nigra cerulea
Broom, Spanish Broom, Spartium junceum
Bumpy Rim-Lichen, Lecanora hybocarpa [tan to brown apothecia]
Bur Parsley, Anthriscus caucalis
California Ground Squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi
California Mugwort, Artemisia douglasiana
California Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly, Battus philenor hirsuta
California Pipevine, Dutchman’s Pipe, Aristolochia californica
California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
California Wild Grape, Vitis californica
Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
Candleflame Lichen, Candelaria concolor
Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
Common Merganser, American Common Merganser, Mergus merganser americanus
Common Saint John’s Wort, Hypericum perforatum
Coyote Brush, Baccharis pilularis
Deerweed, Acmispon glaber
Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger [rusty belly]
Elegant Clarkia, Clarkia unguiculata
Fennel, Sweet Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare
Grasses, Bristly Dogtail Grass, Cynosurus echinatus
Grasses, Greater Quaking Grass, Rattlesnake Grass, Briza maxima
Grasses, Pink Grass, Windmill Pink, Hairypink, Petrorhagia dubia
Grasses, Smilo Grass, Oloptum miliaceum
Iris, Yellow Water Iris, Iris pseudacorus
Lesser Goldfinch, Spinus psaltria
Live Oak Erineum Mite Gall, Aceria mackiei
Live Oak Folded Leaf Aphid, Stegophylla essigi
Mallard Duck, Anas platyrhynchos
Monkeyflower, Orange Bush Monkeyflower, Diplacus aurantiacus
Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
Mullein, Moth Mullein, Verbascum blattaria [thin stick, white or yellow]
Non-Biting Midges, Cricotopus sp.
Oak Apple, California Gall Wasp, Andricus quercuscalifornicus
Oak, Interior Live Oak, Quercus wislizeni
Oak, Valley Oak, Quercus lobata
Powder-Edged Speckled Greenshield, Flavopunctelia soredica [pale green, soredia on the edges of the thalus]
Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
Rose, California Wild Rose, Rosa californica [pink]
Silverpuffs, Silverpuffs, Uropappus lindleyi [pointed tips]
Strap Lichen, Ribbon Lichen, Ramalina leptocarpha
Swallow, Tree Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor
Tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus
Towhee, Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus [heard]
Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura
Vetch, Hairy Vetch, Vicia villosa
Western Bluebird, Sialia mexicana
Western Fence Lizard, Blue Belly, Sceloporus occidentalis
Western Hoptree, Ptelea crenulata
Wren, House Wren, Troglodytes aedon