Category Archives: photography

#52HikeChallenge, birding, Citizen Science, galls, General Blog, Naturalist, photography, Volunteering

The Usual Suspects at Gristmill, 07-31-23

I got up around 5:30 this morning, fed and pottied my dog Esteban, and then went over to the Gristmill Recreation Area for a walk. I got out early in an attempt to beat today’s forecasted heat. I was hoping to see some butterflies and dragonflies but didn’t see a single one. *Sad face emoji*

Goodding’s Willow, Black Willow, Salix gooddingii
Fluff from the willows lining the trail
American River
A leaf impression on a dried leaf

Most of the flowering trees and plants were near or at the end of their bloom period, so offering few options for pollinators. I did see a lot of bees all along the trail flying low to the ground. This is usually the behavior of ground-dwelling bees looking for a new nesting spot.

According to an article posted on the 8 Billion Trees website, “Ground-Nesting Bees Identification Chart: 77 Kinds of Bees Live in the Ground”, the wild Western Honey Bee is a ground dweller, although they can develop hives in a variety of places. The bees I saw didn’t seem to be “coordinated”; they weren’t swarming. They seemed to be flying independent of one another, but also seemed to be everywhere I looked.

One of the first places I went was down the boat ramp to the rocky bank of the American River. I wanted to check out the cottonwood and willows along there. It’s really hard for me to walk on such uneven ground, so I had to move very slowly, and kept as close to the trees and shrubs along the bank. The water in the river has gone down quite a lot, exposing more of the bank, but not so much that I could walk down the bank as far as I wanted to.

American River. You can see how the water cuts off the bank here,

I saw the ubiquitous Canada Geese and Mallard, but among them, on the rocks and “islands” in the river, were lots of Spotted Sandpipers in their breeding spots. They were fun to see. I also saw some Bushtits, and heard birds like Scrub Jays, Nuttall’s Woodpeckers, Spotted Towhees, and Oak Titmice.

On the cottonwood trees along the bank, I saw both the Bead-Like aphid galls along the edges of the leaves, and the more hefty Cottonwood Petiole Galls. I don’t usually see galls, other than the Oak Apples, on the oak trees in this area, but today I found quite a few Spined Turban Galls. On the willow trees were both the Willow Rose Galls (found on the terminal end of branches) and the similar Willow Rosette Gall (found on the stems of the plant), and some Willow Apple galls.

I don’t know if the “convulsive” weather we’ve had this year has been messing with the gall formers (resulting in fewer galls seen overall so far), or if the gall formers themselves are dying out (like other insect species are around the globe). It will be interesting to see what the gall numbers are like by the end of the year.

Among the mammals, I saw Black-Tailed Jackrabbits, California Ground Squirrels, and some Eastern Fox Squirrels (one with a mouthful of nesting material that it carried up a tree). And the reptiles were represented by the Western Fence Lizard.

I was out for about 2 ½ hours. This was hike #41 of my #52hikechallenge for 2023.

Species List:

  1. Ash Flower Gall Mite, Aceria fraxiniflora
  2. Ash Leafcurl Aphid, Prociphilus fraxinifolii
  3. Ash Petiole Gall Midge, Dasineura tumidosae
  4. Bead-Like Cottonwood Gall Aphid, Thecabius populimonilis [leaf edges]
  5. Bees, European Honeybee, Western Honeybee, Apis mellifera
  6. Black Locust, Robinia pseudoacacia
  7. Black Walnut, Northern California Black Walnut, Juglans hindsii
  8. Blackberry, Armenian Blackberry, Rubus armeniacus [red canes, white flowers]
  9. Black-Tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus californicus
  10. Blue Elderberry, Sambucus nigra cerulea
  11. California Black Walnut Pouch Gall Mite, Aceria brachytarsa
  12. California Ground Squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi
  13. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
  14. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
  15. Cottonwood Petiole Gall Aphid, Pemphigus obesinympha
  16. Coyote Tobacco, Nicotiana attenuata
  17. Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger [rusty belly]
  18. Elm Tree, Field Elm, Ulmus minor
  19. Fennel, Sweet Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare
  20. Fremont’s Cottonwood, Populus fremontii
  21. Green Lacewing, Family: Chrysopidae
  22. Leaf-Miner Flies, Family: Agromyzidae
  23. Mallard Duck, Anas platyrhynchos
  24. Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
  25. Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii [heard]
  26. Oak Apple, California Gall Wasp, Andricus quercuscalifornicus
  27. Oak, Coast Live Oak, Quercus agrifolia
  28. Oak, Interior Live Oak, Quercus wislizeni
  29. Oak, Valley Oak, Quercus lobata
  30. Pumpkin Gall Wasp, Dryocosmus minusculus
  31. Roses, California Wild Rose, Rosa californica [pink]
  32. Spined Turban Gall Wasp, Cynips douglasii, unisexual, Summer generation [on leaf]
  33. Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularius
  34. Towhee, Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
  35. Western Fence Lizard, Blue Belly, Sceloporus occidentalis
  36. Willow Apple Gall Sawfly, Euura californica
  37. Willow Rose Gall Midge, Rabdophaga rosaria [on the terminal end]
  38. Willow Rosette Gall Midge, Rabdophaga salicisbrassicoides [on the stem]
  39. Willow, Arroyo Willow, Salix lasiolepis
  40. Willow, Narrowleaf Willow, Sandbar Willow, Salix exigua

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#52HikeChallenge, birding, Citizen Science, galls, General Blog, Naturalist, photography

Not Quite Gall City at the Cosumnes and Stone Lake Preserves, 07-23-23

After feeding and pottying my dog Esteban, I headed out to the Cosumnes River Preserve to look for galls and any fading plants I could find before they’re gone for the year.

On the way there, I stopped briefly at the Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge to check the oak trees and the rose bushes there. There are usually very few oak galls or willow galls at this location, so I wasn’t expecting too much. I did see some leaf-on-leaf galls and some Spined Turban galls on the Valley Oaks but not much. On the rose bushes there were plenty of the heavy bract galls visible.

There were quite a few orb-weaver spiders in the gaps between the bushes and branches. They haven’t fattened up here yet, and I’m inferring that’s because there may be a lack of insects for the spiders to eat.

On the tip of a dried bit of a rush, I found what I first thought might be some kind of odd little caterpillar, but it didn’t move when I touched it. It also didn’t feel “fleshy”, rather the different components felt smooth, almost “glassy”. I knew I needed to get a closer look with my magnifying “eyeball” [a clip-on loupe that works with the camera on my cell phone.] Soooo… I actually went into the restroom facility to sit down with the bit of rush and get a better look at what was on it.

When I went into the prefab restroom building, I found it was full of small dusky-winged flies. There must have been about 50 of them in there, and they were all over everything, including the toilet itself. I shooed a bunch of them away, sat down, and did “double doody”, relieving myself and checking out the things on the bit of rush. [TMI, I know.] I was VERY surprised to find that the things were actually teeny-tin-tiny eggs! They were round, and mottled like marbles. I have no idea what kind of small insect laid them, so I’ll have to do a lot of research.

As for the little dusky-winged, the eyeball lens was able to get a few close-up photo of them, and I could see how “fluffy” they were and how feathery their antennae were. My brain said, “They’re moths!” Close, but no cigar. They were actually Bathroom Moth Flies! What a perfect name for them. They’re related to Drain Flies and Sewer Gnats.

“… There are more than 4700 known species worldwide, most of them native to the humid tropics. This makes them one of the most diverse families in the Order…”

Adults live for about 12 days on water and nectar, and they are protected from drowning by the water-repellent hairs on their bodies. Surprisingly, they are also immune to the effects of bleach and drain cleaners; even boiling water won’t take them out. Wow! Tough little cookies!

I could hear a lot of birds around the area, but couldn’t get decent photos of most of them: Red-Winged Blackbirds, Brewer’s Blackbirds, American Robins, and House Finches. The only mammals I saw here were a couple of Desert Cottontail Rabbits which looked rather young.

I then headed over to the Cosumnes River Preserve and the agricultural fields around it. I stopped a few times along Bruceville and Desmond Roads. On the oak trees, I found a few Spined Turban galls (but most of them were tiny), some Jumping galls, and some very fresh Flat-Topped Honeydew galls. These were moist with honeydew, and being protected by a phalanx of very busy ants.

That was about it on the gall front. It may be that we have to wait until the end of August to get a good showing of the various galls.

I then drove further along Desmond Road and onto Franklin Road to get some photos of the wild sunflowers, fennel, bisnaga, and chicory in bloom. Among them were a variety of bees, wasps and flies, including Broad-Headed Marsh Flies, Western Honeybees, Tripartite Sweat Bees, and Yellowjackets. There were larger black wasps and smaller wasps that I thought might be Potter’s Wasps, but I couldn’t get photos of them.

I also got some photos of the House Finches along the fence line, but that was about it.

I didn’t go down to the boat ramp area. [I have to remember to get over there next time.] I had wanted to check to see if the Water Hyacinth was going wild over there as it had in previous years. As I was driving in, I could see it along the freeway in the sloughs and cattle ponds. The flowers are quite lovely, but the plants are totally invasive and choke out water environments. Here are some photos of the plants clogging the boat ramp area a few years ago:

I did stop by the pond near the boardwalk area, and was happy to see there was water in it. The surface was bubbling in places as bullfrogs, not yet fully metamorphosed, came up to the surface to grab a breath of air before plunging back down into the water. On the edge of the pond was a Great Egret that was fishing. I saw it catch at least one fish (or bullfrog tadpole) while I was watching it. I got a few photos of it before I headed back home.

I was out for about three hours. This was hike #40 in my #52hikechallenge for the year.

Species List:

  1. American Robin, Turdus migratorius
  2. Bees, Tripartite Sweat Bee, Halictus tripartitus
  3. Bees, Yellow-Faced Bumble Bee, Bombus vosnesenskii
  4. Bisnaga, Visnaga daucoides
  5. Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
  6. Brewer’s Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus
  7. Bristly Oxtongue, Helminthotheca echioides
  8. Broadleaved Pepperweed, Lepidium latifolium
  9. Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis
  10. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
  11. Chicory, Cichorium intybus
  12. Common Spikeweed, Centromadia pungens
  13. Crickets, Infraorder: Gryllidea
  14. Desert Cottontail Rabbit, Sylvilagus audubonii
  15. Dragonfly, Variegated Meadowhawk Dragonfly, Sympetrum corruptum
  16. Fennel, Sweet Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare
  17. Flat-Topped Honeydew Gall Wasp, Disholcaspis eldoradensis
  18. Flies, Bathroom Moth Fly, Clogmia albipunctata
  19. Flies, Broad-Headed Marsh Fly, Helophilus latifrons
  20. Flies, Margined Calligrapher, Toxomerus marginatus [hoverfly]
  21. Fremont’s Cottonwood, Populus fremontii
  22. Frog, American Bullfrog, Lithobates catesbeianus
  23. Great Egret, Ardea alba
  24. House Finch, Haemorhous mexicanus
  25. Jumping Gall Wasp, Neuroterus saltatorius
  26. Killdeer, Charadrius vociferous [heard]
  27. Leaf Gall Wasp/ Unidentified per Russo, Tribe: Cynipidea [on Valley Oak]
  28. Leafy Bract Gall Wasp, Diplolepis californica [hard rosette gall on rose bush]
  29. Milkweed, Narrowleaf Milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis
  30. Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
  31. Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos
  32. Oak Apple, California Gall Wasp, Andricus quercuscalifornicus
  33. Oak, Valley Oak, Quercus lobata
  34. Pepperweed, Lepidium sp.
  35. Plum, Prunus domestica
  36. Red Cone Gall Wasp, Andricus kingi
  37. Red-Tailed Hawk, Western Red-Tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis calurus [along highway]
  38. Red-Winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus
  39. Roses, California Wild Rose, Rosa californica [pink]
  40. Silver Long-Jawed Orbweaver, Tetragnatha laboriosa
  41. Smartweed, Swamp Smartweed, Persicaria hydropipe
  42. Spined Turban Gall Wasp, Cynips douglasii, unisexual, Summer generation
  43. Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp, Diplolepis polita [on rose bushes]
  44. Sunflower, Common Sunflower, Helianthus annuus
  45. Sycamore, Western Sycamore, Platanus racemosa
  46. Thistle, Blessed Milk Thistle, Silybum marianum
  47. Thrip, Predatory Thrip, Aeolothrips sp.
  48. Western Spotted Orbweaver, Neoscona oaxacensis
  49. Western Yellowjacket, Vespula pensylvanica
  50. Willow Pinecone Gall Midge, Rabdophaga strobiloides
  51. Willow, Goodding’s Willow, Black Willow, Salix gooddingii
  52. Willow, Narrowleaf Willow, Sandbar Willow, Salix exigua
  53. Willow, Salix sp.
  54. ?? Tiny eggs on grass

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#52HikeChallenge, birding, Citizen Science, Firsts, galls, General Blog, Naturalist, photography, Surprises, Volunteering

A Short Walk at Sailor Bar, 07-18-23

I got up around 5:45 this morning, and got myself dressed, got the dog fed and pottied, and got myself out the door. I headed out to the Sailor Bar Community Park along the American River. The traffic was moving easily and I got a lot of green lights, so I was at the park by about 6:30 AM. It was already 67ºF outside and I knew it was going to warm up fast, so this was kind of an abbreviated excursion. I was only out for about 2 hours, and by then it was already 80ºF outside. Pleh!

I was hoping to see galls on the oak trees, but they weren’t really showing themselves yet. I saw only two single specimens of the Saucer Galls and one old specimen of a Hair Stalk Gall Wasp gall on a blue oak tree, but nothing on the Live Oaks or the Valley Oaks yet. It may be another month before we see anything else.

I did find quite few willow galls including the Willow Bead Galls, sawfly Apple Galls, Pinecone Galls, and some Rose Galls just starting to emerge. A sort of new-to-me gall was the gall of the Potato Gall Midge, Rabdophaga salicisbatatus. I don’t see this one very often, and when I first saw one, years ago, I couldn’t find a good species match for it. The “potato” ID must be relatively new to iNaturalist.

Along with the mosquitoes, I encountered a lot of Low-Jawed Orb-Weaver Spiders, including one that ran up onto some apple galls I was photographing as though she was claiming them as hers. There were no butterflies, but I did see some dragonflies hovering around a still pond in the river, and some Robber Flies on the ground.

As for the larger, more warm-blooded critters, I saw a few Cottontail Rabbits, California Quails, House Finches (feeding on the turkey mullein), Scrub Jays, some Crows, and a Green Heron resting in a tree near the river.

The tarweeds are starting to assert themselves, and the blackberry vines and blue elderberry trees are dripping with fruit. The California Mugwort is blooming as are the Buttonbush bushes, and fig trees. There was madia still in flower everywhere, and I found a couple of nice stands of Sacred Datura.

I feel a sense of urgency to photograph the plants and trees now before the summer heats really sets in and everything gets burned by the sun. But when it’s hot outside, I can only be out walking around in the very early morning hours when it’s still relatively cool (in the 60s).

As I mentioned, I was out for about 2 hours today. This was hike #39 of my #52hikechallenge for the year.

Species List:

  1. Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
  2. Bees, European Honeybee, Western Honeybee, Apis mellifera
  3. Blackberry, Armenian Blackberry, Rubus armeniacus [red canes, white flowers]
  4. Blue Elderberry, Sambucus nigra cerulea
  5. Brazilian Vervain, Purpletop Vervain, Verbena brasiliensis
  6. Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis
  7. California Mugwort, Artemisia douglasiana
  8. California Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly, Battus philenor hirsuta
  9. California Quail, Callipepla californica
  10. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
  11. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
  12. Common Madia, Madia elegans
  13. Crow, American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos
  14. Desert Cottontail Rabbit, Sylvilagus audubonii
  15. Dragonfly, Variegated Meadowhawk Dragonfly, Sympetrum corruptum
  16. Fig, Common Fig, Ficus carica
  17. Fitch’s Tarweed, Centromadia fitchii
  18. Flies, Robber Fly, Efferia albibarbis
  19. Green Heron, Butorides virescens
  20. Hair Stalk Gall Wasp, Andricus pedicellatus [thread gall on blue oak]
  21. Heleomyzid Fly, Trixoscelis sp.
  22. House Finch, Haemorhous mexicanus
  23. Mallard Duck, Anas platyrhynchos
  24. Mosquito, Super Family: Culicoidea
  25. Mullein, Doveweed, Turkey Mullein, Croton setiger
  26. Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos
  27. Oak, Blue Oak, Quercus douglasii
  28. Poison Oak, Pacific Poison Oak, Western Poison Oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum
  29. Potato Gall Midge, Rabdophaga salicisbatatus [on petiole, arroyo willow]
  30. Sacred Datura, Jimsonweed, Datura wrightii
  31. Saucer Gall Wasp, Andricus gigas
  32. Silver Long-Jawed Orbweaver, Tetragnatha laboriosa
  33. Stink Bugs, Family: Pentatomidae [eggs]
  34. Towhee, Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
  35. Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus altissima
  36. Tripartite Sweat Bee, Halictus tripartitus
  37. Willow Apple Gall Sawfly, Euura californica
  38. Willow Bead Gall Mite, Aculus tetanothrix
  39. Willow Pinecone Gall Midge, Rabdophaga strobiloides
  40. Willow Rose Gall Midge, Rabdophaga rosaria [on the terminal end]
  41. Willow, Arroyo Willow, Salix lasiolepis
  42. Willow, Narrowleaf Willow, Sandbar Willow, Salix exigua

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birding, Citizen Science, City Nature Challenge, Firsts, General Blog, Naturalist, photography, Surprises, Volunteering, wildflowers

Drum Powerhouse Road, 07-12-23

I got up around 5:00 AM, and got myself ready to go with my friend Roxanne to Drum Powerhouse Road. We’d been up there earlier in the year, during the City Nature Challenge, and wanted to see if there was anything different or new-to-us to see. After stopping for coffee, we were on our way.

As we turned onto Ice House Road, the first thing we encountered were some construction workers and their heavy machinery working on a massive wooden retaining wall. Rox pulled off to the side of the road opposite the construction, not to avoid the workmen, but to get some photos of a female Northern Flicker and young fledgling we believe she was helping to feed.

“… Unlike most other woodpeckers, the Northern Flicker feeds mostly on the ground where it laps up insects, primarily ants, with its long, barbed tongue. It also consumes fruits and seeds, especially during winter months… The Northern Flicker was a very efficient predator of larval tiger beetles in their subterranean burrows . Flickers have a remarkable protrusile tongue, derived by great elongation of the basihyal and part of the hyoid horns, that is characteristic of woodpeckers. Its sticky tongue darts out as much as 4 cm beyond the bill tip as it laps up adult and larval ants…” Birds of the World

As we went further along the road, we were seeing flowers we had never seen there before among the more common-to-us species, such as Sierra Milkwort, Rose Campion, Cardinal Catchfly, Scarlet Monkey Flower, California Fuchsia, and Wavyleaf Paintbrush.

Wavyleaf Paintbrush, Castilleja applegatei, and Bluehead Gilia, Gilia capitata

The Bleeding Hearts that had been so prolific in the spring, were now down to a few scraggly specimens. And the jewelflower plants that were just sprouting leaves in the spring, were now gone to see and burned dry by the summer heat. We missed their flowering period altogether. That was disappointing.

What made up for that, though, was the fact that we found several stands of the bright orange Humbolt Lilies (like Tiger Lilies). I’d caught a glimpse of some of them along the freeway before we got to Drum Powerhouse Road, so I was really hoping we’d see some more up close before the day was out. We also found some new-to-me Angelica, California Skullcaps, Deptford Pinks, and Wiry Snapdragons. All along the road, too, we saw lots of pale purple “feathery”-looking flowers that we discovered were California Hairbells.

Humboldt Lily, Lilium humboldtii humboldtii

More of the ferns seemed to be awake and established between the rocks and along the seeps. Specimens we saw included Hairy Brackenfern, Giant Chain Fern, Coastal Woodfern, Narrowleaf Swordfern, Lace Lip Fern, Brittle Bladderfern and Serpentine Fern, among others. A very nice showing.

There was also a great deal of Coyote Mint in bloom all along the road, and some spreads acted as beds for sleepy bees, as well as feeding posts for bees, butterflies, skippers and moths. We actually saw a variety of insects today including Yellow-Faced and Van Dyke’s Bumblebees, California Bumblebees, Western Tiger Butterflies, California Sister Butterflies, Woodland Skippers, and the small Callippe Fritillary Butterflies, which were new to me.

At first, it was as though the butterflies were deliberately avoiding having their picture taken, and I started taking it kind of personally. Eventually, though, I was able to get some shots including some of a new-to-me butterfly: the Clodius Parnassian, one of the Apollo swallowtail butterflies. They seemed to be everywhere, pale white and dusty grey with pale pink spots on the hind wings. Shapiro says, “…Larvae are crepuscular-nocturnal except on cloudy, cool days and mimic poisonous millipedes…” Yikes!

“…Males patrol habitat to find females; after mating they attach a pouch to female to prevent multiple matings. Females lay single eggs scattered on the host plant. Caterpillars feed at night at the base of host plant and pupate in a loose silk cocoon above ground. Overwintering is by the egg stage… Subspecies strohbeeni from California’s Santa Cruz Mountains is extinct…” Butterflies and Moths of North America

Other insects of note on our trip included a young grasshopper, some water striders and Water Scavenger Beetles, some wasps, and several handsome Ornate Checkered Beetles feeding in the Naked Buckwheat.

We were out for about 8 hours, and I really enjoyed it (in spite of being dissed by the butterflies for a while).

Because we were in the car for the majority of this trip, I’m not counting it toward my #52hikechallenge for the year.

Species List:

  1. Alumroot, Crevice Alumroot, Heuchera micrantha
  2. American Robin, Turdus migratorius
  3. Apollo Butterfly, Clodius Parnassian Butterfly, Parnassius clodius [lifer]
  4. Bay Laurel, California Bay, Umbellularia californica
  5. Bedstraw, Graceful Bedstraw, Galium porrigens [very smal]
  6. Bees, California Bumble Bee, Bombus californicus
  7. Bees, Van Dyke’s Bumble Bee, Bombus vandykei [lifer]
  8. Bitter Lettuce, Lactuca virosa
  9. Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans [heard]
  10. Blackberry, Himalayan Blackberry, Rubus bifrons [red canes, pink flowers]
  11. Black-Tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus californicus
  12. Bluehead Gilia, Gilia capitata
  13. Broom, Spanish Broom, Spartium junceum [on freeway]
  14. Brown Fritillary, Fritillaria micrantha [seed pods]
  15. Buckbrush, Ceanothus cuneatus
  16. California Fuchsia, Epilobium canum
  17. California Harebell, Smithiastrum prenanthoides [thin, feathery purple flowers] [lifer]
  18. California Incense Cedar, Calocedrus decurrens
  19. California Mugwort, Artemisia douglasiana
  20. California Sister Butterfly, Adelpha californica
  21. California Skullcap, Scutellaria californica [lifer]
  22. California Tiger Lily, Leopard Lily, Lilium pardalinum [lifer]
  23. Callippe Fritillary Butterfly, Argynnis callippe [small, tortoiseshell] [lifer] The species is declining in the US portion of the range (and subspecies callippe is federally listed as Endangered in the United States) 
  24. Canadian Horseweed, Erigeron canadensis
  25. Catchfly, Cardinal Catchfly, Silene laciniata
  26. Chicory, Cichorium intybus
  27. Chinese Houses, Sticky Chinese Houses, Collinsia tinctoria [white]
  28. Coastal Brookfoam, Boykinia occidentalis [tiny white flowers]
  29. Columbine, Western Columbine, Aquilegia formosa
  30. Common Saint John’s Wort, Hypericum perforatum
  31. Common Selfheal, Prunella vulgaris
  32. Common Water Strider, Aquarius remigis
  33. Creeping Snowberry, Symphoricarpos mollis
  34. Crescent Map Lichen, Rhizocarpon lecanorinum
  35. Deerbrush Ceanothus, Ceanothus integerrimus
  36. Dendroalsia Moss, Dendroalsia abietina
  37. Deptford Pink, Dianthus armeria [lifer]
  38. Douglas Fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii
  39. Dudleya, Canyon Liveforever, Dudleya cymosa
  40. Emery Rocktripe Lichen, Umbilicaria phaea
  41. Fern, Brittle Bladderfern, Cystopteris fragilis
  42. Fern, Cliff Sword Fern, Polystichum imbricans imbricans
  43. Fern, Coastal Woodfern, Dryopteris arguta
  44. Fern, Giant Chain Fern, Woodwardia fimbriata
  45. Fern, Hairy Brackenfern, Pteridium aquilinum pubescens [lifer]
  46. Fern, Lace Lip Fern, Myriopteris gracillima
  47. Fern, Serpentine Fern, Aspidotis densa
  48. Flies, Picture-Winged Fly, Pseudotephritis vau [lifer]
  49. Grasses, Bristly Dogtail Grass, Cynosurus echinatus
  50. Humboldt Lily, Lilium humboldtii humboldtii [lifer]
  51. Irregular Spindle Gall Wasp, Andricus chrysolepidicola [on Canyon Live Oak]
  52. Manzanita, Whiteleaf Manzanita, Arctostaphylos viscida
  53. Monkeyflower, Scarlet Monkeyflower, Erythranthe cardinalis [red lips] [lifer]
  54. Monkeyflower, Seep Monkeyflower, Erythranthe guttata [yellow]
  55. Naked Buckwheat, Eriogonum nudum
  56. Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus
  57. Oak, California Black Oak, Quercus kelloggii
  58. Oak, Canyon Live Oak, Quercus chrysolepis
  59. Oak, Valley Oak, Quercus lobata
  60. Ornate Checkered Beetle, Trichodes ornatus
  61. Pacific Bleeding Heart, Dicentra formosa
  62. Paintbrush, Wavyleaf Paintbrush, Castilleja applegatei
  63. Pea, Broad-Leaved Sweet Pea, Lathyrus latifolius [large]
  64. Phacelia, Mountain Phacelia, Phacelia imbricata [white]
  65. Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Pinus ponderosa
  66. Pine, Sugar Pine, Pinus lambertiana
  67. Poison Oak, Pacific Poison Oak, Western Poison Oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum
  68. Predaceous Diving Beetles, Family: Dytiscidae
  69. Purple Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea
  70. Rose Campion, Silene coronaria
  71. Rose-of-Sharon, Hypericum calycinum
  72. Rubber Rabbitbrush, Ericameria nauseosa nauseosa [lifer]
  73. Sierra Milkwort, Rhinotropis cornuta [lifer]
  74. Spearleaf Agoseris, Agoseris retrorsa [puffhead like dandelion]
  75. Steller’s Jay, Cyanocitta stelleri [heard several]
  76. Stonecrop, Broad-Leaved Stonecrop, Sedum spathulifolium
  77. Sunflower, Common Woolly Sunflower, Eriophyllum lanatum
  78. Tapered Stem Gall Wasp, Protobalandricus spectabilis
  79. Thistle, Bull Thistle, Cirsium vulgare
  80. Thistle, Spotted Knapweed, Centaurea stoebe
  81. Two-Striped Grasshopper, Melanoplus bivittatus
  82. Water Scavenger Beetle, Family: Hydrophilidae
  83. Wavy-Leafed Soap Plant, Chlorogalum pomeridianum
  84. Western Gray Squirrel, Sciurus griseus
  85. Western Morning Glory, Calystegia occidentalis [like bindweed, yellow tinge]
  86. Western Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly, Papilio rutulus
  87. Western Wallflower, Erysimum capitatum
  88. Western Yellowjacket, Vespula pensylvanica
  89. White Sweetclover, Melilotus albus
  90. Wiry Snapdragon, Sairocarpus vexillocalyculatus [little, pink and white] [lifer]
  91. Woodland Skipper, Ochlodes sylvanoides
  92. Woolly Angelica, Angelica tomentosa [like white ranger buttons] [lifer]
  93. Yellow Salsify, Tragopogon dubius
  94. Yerba Santa, California Yerba Santa, Eriodictyon californicum

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