Species List 2023

Here is my running species list for 2023. I’m including those I’ve taken photos of, heard, saw without getting a photo of, or found tracks/scat that I could identify. You can see last year’s species list HERE.

Total for 2023: 313
JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUN
10812679
JULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC
Number of individual species observed/recorded per month.
Includes 1 new-to-me [lifer] species.

Arachnids: (Last year: 30 species)

  1. False Black Widow Spider, Steatoda grossa
  2. Long-Bodied Cellar Spider, Pholcus phalangioides

Birds: (Last year: 153 species)

  1. Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
  2. American Avocet, Recurvirostra americana
  3. American Coot, Fulica americana
  4. American Kestrel, Falco sparverius
  5. American Pipit, Anthus rubescens
  6. American Robin, Turdus migratorius
  7. American Wigeon, Anas americana
  8. Anna’s Hummingbird, Calypte anna
  9. Audubon’s Warbler, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Setophaga coronata auduboni
  10. Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus
  11. Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon
  12. Black-Crowned Night Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax
  13. Black-Necked Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus
  14. Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
  15. Brewer’s Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus
  16. Bufflehead Duck, Bucephala albeola
  17. Bushtit, American Bushtit, Psaltriparus minimus
  18. Cackling Goose, Branta hutchinsii
  19. California Quail, Callipepla californica
  20. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
  21. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
  22. Chicken, Domestic Chicken, Gallus gallus var. domesticus
  23. Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata
  24. Common Goldeneye, Bucephala clangula
  25. Common Merganser, American Common Merganser, Mergus merganser americanus
  26. Cooper’s Hawk, Acipiter cooperii
  27. Crested Coua, Coua cristata
  28. Crow, American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos
  29. Dark-Eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis
  30. Double-Crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auratus
  31. Dunlin, Calidris alpina
  32. Eurasian Collared Dove, Streptopelia decaocto
  33. Gadwall, Mareca strepera
  34. Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias
  35. Great Egret, Ardea alba
  36. Great-Tailed Grackle, Quiscalus mexicanus
  37. Greater White-Fronted Goose, Anser albifrons
  38. Greater Yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca
  39. Grebe, Pied-Billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps
  40. Green Heron, Butorides virescens
  41. Green-Winged Teal, Anas carolinensis
  42. Gull, Larus sp.
  43. Gull, Herring Gull, Larus argentatus
  44. Gull, Ring-Billed Gull, Larus delawarensis
  45. Hermit Thrush, Catharus guttatus
  46. Hooded Merganser, Lophodytes cucullatus
  47. House Finch, Haemorhous mexicanus
  48. Killdeer, Charadrius vociferous
  49. Laughing Kookaburra, Dacelo novaeguineae
  50. Least Sandpiper, Calidris minutilla
  51. Lesser Goldfinch, Spinus psaltria
  52. Lesser Scaup, Aythya affinis
  53. Lesser Yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes
  54. Lewis’s Woodpecker, Melanerpes lewis
  55. Loggerhead Shrike, Lanius ludovicianus
  56. Long-Billed Dowitcher, Limnodromus scolopaceus
  57. Mallard Duck, Anas platyrhynchos
  58. Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
  59. Mute Swan, Cygnus olor
  60. Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus
  61. Northern Harrier, Marsh Hawk, Circus hudsonius
  62. Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos
  63. Northern Pintail, Anas acuta
  64. Northern Shoveler, Anas clypeata
  65. Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii
  66. Oak Titmouse, Baeolophus inornatus
  67. Osprey, Pandion haliaetus
  68. Peafowl, Indian Peafowl, Pavo cristatus
  69. Phainopepla, Phainopepla nitens
  70. Red-Billed Hornbill, Tockus erythrorhynchus
  71. Red-Breasted Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus ruber
  72. Red-Shouldered Hawk, California Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus elegans
  73. Red-Tailed Hawk, Western Red-Tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis calurus
  74. Red-Winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus
  75. Ring-Necked Duck, Aythya collaris
  76. Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
  77. Ross’s Goose, Anser rossii
  78. Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula
  79. Ruddy Duck, Oxyura jamaicensis
  80. Sandhill Crane, Grus canadensis
  81. Sharp-Shinned Hawk, Accipiter striatus [lifer]
  82. Snow Goose, Chen caerulescens
  83. Snowy Egret, Egretta thula
  84. Sora, Porzana carolina
  85. Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Passerella iliaca
  86. Sparrow, Golden-Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia atricapilla
  87. Sparrow, House Sparrow, Passer domesticus
  88. Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis
  89. Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia
  90. Sparrow, White-Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys
  91. Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularius
  92. Spur-Winged Lapwing, Vanellus spinosus
  93. Swainson’s Hawk, Buteo swainsoni
  94. Swallow, Barn Swallow, American Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica erythrogaster
  95. Swallow, Tree Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor
  96. Thick-Billed Parrot, Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha
  97. Towhee, California Towhee, Melozone crissalis
  98. Towhee, Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
  99. Tundra Swan, Cygnus columbianus
  100. Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura
  101. Western Bluebird, Sialia mexicana
  102. Western Meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta
  103. White-Breasted Nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis
  104. White-Faced Ibis, Plegadis chihi
  105. White Tailed Kite, Elanus leucurus
  106. Wood Duck, Aix sponsa
  107. Wren, Bewick’s Wren, Thryomanes bewickii
  108. Wren, House Wren, Troglodytes aedon
  109. Wren, Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris

Fish: (Last year: 6 species)

Fungi and Molds: (Last year: 30 species)

  1. Agaric Mushroom, Coprinopsis uliginicola
  2. Black Witches’ Butter, Black Jelly Roll, Exidia glandulosa
  3. Bleachy Entoloma, Entoloma ferruginans
  4. Blewit Mushroom, Purple Core, Lepista nuda
  5. Brown Jelly Fungus, Leafy Brain, Phaeotremella foliacea
  6. Brownit Mushroom, Clitocybe brunneocephala
  7. Crust Fungus, Stereum sp.
  8. Crystal Brain Fungus, Myxarium nucleatum
  9. Deer Mushroom, Pluteus cervinus
  10. Giraffe Spots Crust Fungus, Peniophora albobadia
  11. Green Trichoderma Mold, Trichoderma viride
  12. Hairy Curtain Crust, Stereum hirsutum
  13. Impatient Inkcap Mushroom, Tulosesus impatiens (formerly Coprinellus impatiens)
  14. Jelly Spot, Dacrymyces capitatus
  15. Pleated Marasmius, Red Thread, Marasmius plicatulus
  16. Puffball, Lead-Grey Puffball, Bovista plumbea
  17. Puffball, Meadow Puffball, Lycoperdon pratense
  18. Red Edge Brittlestem Mushroom, Psathyrella corrugis
  19. Slime Mold, Carnival Candy Slime Mold, Arcyria denudata
  20. Split Porecrust Fungus, Xylodon paradoxus [crust fungus with split surface]
  21. Tall Psathyrella, Psathyrella longipes
  22. Tuberous Polypore, Polyporus tuberaster [similar to Dryad’s Saddle]
  23. Turkey Tail Fungus, Trametes versicolor
  24. White Stubble Rosegill, Volvopluteus gloiocephalusi [white or gray mushroom, slick cap with colored center, pale pink to gills, papery volva]
  25. Yellow-Staining Milk Cap, Lactarius xanthogalactus [reddish cap, milky gills]

Galls: (Last year: 85 species)

  1. Coyote Brush Bud Gall midge, Rhopalomyia californica
  2. Live Oak Apple Gall Wasp, Summer, asexual generation, Amphibolips quercuspomiformis [spiky ball]
  3. Oak Apple, California Gall Wasp, Andricus quercuscalifornicus

Insects, Arthropods, Hexapods: (Last year: 227 species)

  1. Bee, European Honeybee, Western Honeybee, Apis mellifera
  2. Dragonfly, Variegated Meadowhawk Dragonfly, Sympetrum corruptum
  3. Earwig, Ring-Legged Earwig, Euborellia annulipes
  4. Flies, Black-Margined Flower Fly, Syrphus opinator [a kind of hoverfly]
  5. Lady Beetle, Family: Coccinellidae
  6. Ladybeetle, Broad-Striped Lady Beetle, Paranaemia vittigera
  7. Leaf-Footed Bug, Leptoglossus zonatus [light spots on shoulders]
  8. Little Mite, Linopodes sp.
  9. Mosquito, Super Family: Culicoidea
  10. Paper Wasp, Golden Paper Wasp, Polistes aurifer
  11. Parasitic Wasp, Subfamily: Mesochorinea
  12. Springtail, Subclass Collembola
  13. Tick, American Dog Tick, Dermacentor variabilis

Invertebrates, Other (Last year: 6 species)

  1. Slug, Chestnut Slug, Deroceras invadens [lifer]

Lichen on Trees/Wood: (Last year: 39 species)

  1. Bark Rim Lichen, Lecanora chlarotera [looks like Whiutewash Lichen but has apothecia]
  2. Bitter Wart Lichen Lepra amara [like rim lichen; white with heavy white apotheca]
  3. Boreal Button Lichen, Buellia disciformis [pale gray to bluish with black apothecia on wood]
  4. Bumpy Rim-Lichen, Lecanora hybocarpa [tan to brown apothecia]
  5. California Camouflage Lichen, Melanelixia californica [dark green with brown apothecia, on trees]
  6. Candleflame Lichen, Candelaria sp.
  7. Common Button Lichen, Buellia erubescens [black eyes on white]
  8. Farinose Cartilage Lichen,  Ramalina farinacea [like Oakmoss but very thin branches]
  9. Fluffy Dust Lichen, Pacific Fluffy Dust Lichen, Lepraria pacifica [blue-green dust lichen]
  10. Gold Dust Lichen, Chrysothrix candelaris
  11. Green Shield Lichen, Flavoparmelia caperata
  12. Hoary Rosette Lichen, Physcia aipolia
  13. Hooded Rosette Lichen, Physcia adscendens [hairs/eyelashes on the tips of the lobes]
  14. Hooded Sunburst Lichen, Xanthomendoza fallax [with soredia]
  15. Lace Lichen, Ramalina menziesii
  16. Lecidella Lichen, Lecidella elaeochroma [round black spots on white background]
  17. Oakmoss Lichen, Evernia prunastri [like strap but with soredia]
  18. Pepper-Spore Lichen, Rinodina sp.
  19. Pin-Cushion Sunburst Lichen, Polycauliona polycarpa [bright orange, apothecia, close, piled]
  20. Poplar Sunburst Lichen, Xanthomendoza hasseana [sunburst on Cottonwood]
  21. Powder-Edged Speckled Greenshield, Flavopunctelia soredica [pale green, soredia on the edges of the thalus]
  22. Ribbon Lichen, Ramalina leptocarpha
  23. Shrubby Sunburst Lichen, Polycauliona candelaria
  24. Speckled Greenshield Lichen, Flavopunctelia flaventior
  25. Star Rosette Lichen, Physcia stellaris [hoary, white/gray apotheca]
  26. Strap Lichen, Ramalina leptocarpha
  27. Trumpet Lichen, Cladonia fimbriata
  28. Whitewash Lichen, Phlyctis argena
  29. Yellow-Edged Frost Lichen, Physconia enteroxantha [green shield with pale edges]

Lichen on Stone/Metal: (Last year: 23 species)

  1. Black-Eyed Lichen, Tephromela atra
  2. Brown Cobblestone Lichen, Acarospora fuscata
  3. Ceramic Parchment, Xylobolus frustulatus
  4. Concentric Boulder Lichen, Porpidia crustulata
  5. Crater Lichen, Diploschistes scruposus
  6. Cumberland Rock-Shield Lichen, Xanthoparmelia cumberlandia [gray, brown apotheca]
  7. Gold Cobblestone Lichen, Pleopsidium flavum [darker orange-yellow than Yellow Cobblestone]
  8. Green Rock-Posy, Rhizoplaca melanophthalma
  9. Hidden Goldspeck Lichen, Candelariella aurella [small, scattered, yellow, on rocks]
  10. Mountain Lichen, Dimelaena radiata
  11. Orange Atoms, Squamulea subsoluta
  12. Rock Nipple Lichen, Thelomma mammosum
  13. Smokey-Eyed Boulder Lichen, Porpidia albocaerulescens [black]
  14. Stonewall Rim Lichen, Protoparmeliopsis muralis
  15. Yellow Cobblestone Lichen, Acarospora socialis
  16. Yellow Map Lichen, Rhizocarpon geographicum

Mammals: (Last year: 42 species)

  1. Aardvark, Orycteropus afer
  2. African Lion, Panthera leo
  3. Beaver, American, Beaver, Castor canadensis
  4. Black and White Ruffed Lemur, Varecia variegata variegata
  5. Black-Tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus californicus
  6. California Ground Squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi
  7. Chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes
  8. Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
  9. Coyote, Canis latrans
  10. Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger [rusty belly]
  11. Eastern Gray Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis [white belly]
  12. Giraffe, Masai Giraffe, Giraffa tippelskirchi
  13. Giraffe, Reticulated Giraffe, Giraffa reticulata
  14. Grevy’s Zebra, Equus grevyi
  15. Meerkat, Slender-Tailed Meerkat, Suricata suricatta
  16. Mongoose Lemur, Eulemur mongo
  17. Jaguar, Panthera onca
  18. Otter, North American River Otter, Lontra canadensis
  19. Raccoon, Common Raccoon, Procyon lotor
  20. Red Kangaroo, Macropus rufus
  21. Striped Skunk, Mephitis mephitis
  22. Sumatran Orangutan, Pongo abelii
  23. Snow Leopard, Panthera uncia
  24. Western Gray Squirrel, Sciurus griseus

Pathogens/Bacteria: (Last year: 16 species)

  1. Coral Spot, Nectria cinnabarina

Plants, Flowers, Trees: (Last year: 575 species)

  1. Alder, White Alder, Alnus rhombifolia
  2. Almond Tree, Prunus dulcis
  3. Aloe, Aloe sp.
  4. Aloe, Candelabra Aloe, Aloe arborescens
  5. Arundo, Giant Reed, Arundo donax
  6. Ash, Oregon Ash, Fraxinus latifolia
  7. Bay Laurel, California Bay, Umbellularia californica
  8. Bicolor Cobra Lily, Chasmanthe bicolor
  9. Birchleaf Mountain Mahogany, Cercocarpus betuloides
  10. Black Walnut, Eastern Black Walnut, Juglans nigra
  11. Blackberry, Armenian Blackberry, Rubus armeniacus [red canes]
  12. Blessed Milk Thistle, Silybum marianum
  13. Blue Dicks, Dipterostemon capitatus
  14. Blue Elderberry, Sambucus nigra cerulea
  15. Borage, Borago officinalis
  16. Boxelder, Box Elder Tree, Acer negundo
  17. California Buckeye Chestnut Tree, Aesculus californica
  18. California Mugwort, Artemisia douglasiana
  19. California Pipevine, Dutchman’s Pipe, Aristolochia californica
  20. California Poppy, Eschscholzia californica
  21. Catchweed Bedstraw, Velcro Grass, Galium aparine
  22. Cattail, Broad-Leaved Cattail, Typha latifolia
  23. Cattail, Narrow-Leaf Cattail, Typha angustifolia
  24. Chinese Privet, Ligustrum sinense
  25. Common Bird-of-Paradise Flower, Strelitzia reginae
  26. Common Chickweed, Stellaria media
  27. Coyote Brush, Baccharis pilularis
  28. Duckweed, Common Duckweed, Lemna minor
  29. Erodium, Musk Stork’s-Bill, Erodium moschatum
  30. Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus sp.
  31. European Dog Violet, Viola riviniana
  32. Fennel, Sweet Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare
  33. Fern, Goldback Fern, Pentagramma triangularis
  34. Fiddleneck, Common Fiddleneck, Amsinckia menziesii
  35. Field Elm, Ulmus minor
  36. Field Mustard, Brassica rapa
  37. Fremont’s Cottonwood, Populus fremontii
  38. Giraffe’s Head, Henbit Deadnettle, Lamium amplexicaule
  39. Grasses, Ripgut Brome, Bromus diandrus
  40. Grasses, Saltgrass, Distichlis spicata
  41. Gray Pine, Pinus sabiniana
  42. Greater Honeywort, Cerinthe major
  43. Italian Arum, Lords-and-Ladies, Arum italicum
  44. Italian Cypress, Cupressus sempervirens
  45. Jointed Charlock, Raphanus raphanistrum
  46. Lawn Daisy, Bellis perennis
  47. Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta
  48. Lomatium, Foothill Desert-Parsley, Lomatium utriculatum
  49. Lupine, Bush Lupine, Silver Lupine, Lupinus albifrons var. albifrons
  50. Lupine, Miniature Lupine, Lupinus bicolor
  51. Manroot, California Manroot, Bigroot, Marah fabaceus
  52. Manroot, Taw Man-Root, Marah watsonii
  53. Manzanita, Common Manzanita, Arctostaphylos manzanita
  54. Miner’s Lettuce, Claytonia perfoliata
  55. Mistletoe, Broadleaf Mistletoe, Phoradendron macrophyllum
  56. Mosses, Division: Bryophyta
  57. Mosses, Bonfire Moss, Funaria hygrometrica
  58. Mosses, Bud-Headed Groove-Moss, Aulacomnium androgynum
  59. Mosses, Nuttall’s Homalothecium Moss, Homalothecium nuttallii
  60. Mosses, Small Hairy Screw-Moss, Syntrichia laevipila
  61. Mountain Grape, Berberis oiwakensis
  62. Mullein, Great Mullein, Verbascum thapsus
  63. Oak, Coast Live Oak, Quercus agrifolia
  64. Oak, Interior Live Oak, Quercus wislizeni
  65. Oak, Valley Oak, Quercus lobata
  66. Olive, Olea europaea
  67. Pacific Pea, Lathyrus vestitus
  68. Paintbrush, Woolly Indian Paintbrush, Castilleja foliolosa
  69. Pipestem Clematis, Old Man’s Beard, Clematis lasiantha
  70. Podocarpus, Chinese Podocarpus, Podocarpus macrophyllus var. maki
  71. Poison Hemlock, Conium maculatum
  72. Poison Oak, Pacific Poison Oak, Western Poison Oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum
  73. Popcorn Flower, Rusty Popcornflower, Plagiobothrys nothofulvus
  74. Pot Marigold, Calendula officinalis
  75. Pyracantha, Firethorn, Pyracantha sp.
  76. Quince, Cydonia oblonga
  77. Rose, California Wild Rose, Rosa californica [pink]
  78. Rosemary, Salvia rosmarinus
  79. Salt Bush, Cryptocarpus pyriformis
  80. Shepherd’s-Purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris
  81. Shining Pepperweed, Lepidium nitidum
  82. Shrubby Globularia, Globularia alypum [purple-blue puff center]
  83. Spurge, Mediterranean Spurge, Euphorbia characias [large plants]
  84. Star-of-Bethlehem Tribe, Tribe: Ornithogaleae
  85. Stinking Hellebore, Helleborus foetidus
  86. Summer Snowflake, Leucojum aestivum [like lily of the valley w/green dots]
  87. Sunflower, California Sunflower, Helianthus californicus
  88. Teasel, Wild Teasel, Dipsacus fullonum
  89. Toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolia
  90. Tule, Common Tule, Schoenoplectus acutus
  91. Wavy-Leafed Soap Plant, Chlorogalum pomeridianum
  92. Western Redbud, Cercis occidentalis
  93. White Horehound, Marrubium vulgare
  94. White Sweetclover, Melilotus albus
  95. Willow, Salix sp.
  96. Willow, Arroyo Willow, Salix lasiolepis
  97. Willow, Goodding’s Willow, Black Willow, Salix gooddingii
  98. Yerba Santa, California Yerba Santa, Eriodictyon californicum

Reptiles and Amphibians: (Last year: 10 species)

  1. Axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum
  2. Ball Python, Python regius
  3. Ball Python, Python regius
  4. Catalina Island Rattlesnake, Crotalus catalinensis
  5. Common Chuckwalla, Sauromalus obesus
  6. Frog, Amazon Milk Frog, Trachycephalus resinifictrix
  7. Frog, Golden Mantella, Mantella aurantiaca
  8. Frog, Phantasmal Dart Frog, Epipedobates tricolor
  9. Frog, Smoky Jungle Frog, Leptodactylus pentadactylus
  10. Frog, Yellow-Banded Poison Dart Frog, Dendrobates leucomelas
  11. Madagascar Giant Day Gecko, Phelsuma grandis
  12. Madagascar Tree Boa, Sanzinia madagascariensis
  13. Pacific Pond Turtle, Western Pond Turtle, Actinemys marorata
  14. Rhinoceros Iguana, Cyclura cornuta
  15. Smallwood’s Anole, Anolis smallwoodi
  16. Spider Tortoise, Pyxis arachnoides
  17. Spiny-Tailed Gecko, Strophurus sp.
  18. Smooth-Fronted Caiman, Paleosuchus trigonatus
  19. Western Fence Lizard, Blue Belly, Sceloporus occidentalis

Other Vocabulary:

  • Apothecia: [a-poth-EH-cee-ah] concave cup formations on lichen that bear the spores; asocarp
  • Bilateral Gynandromorph: an organism that contains both male and female characteristics that can be distinguished through sexual dimorphism. Usually seen in moths, butterflies, other insects and birds.
  • Cecidologist: a person who studies plant galls
  • Cilia: outgrowths on the thallus of lichen that look like eyelashes or tentacles
  • Crown Shyness: gaps in the canopy between trees in the forest that allow for sunlight to get through, and help the trees “social distance” to help neighboring trees to avoid infections and infestations.
  • Fasciation: also known as cresting, a relatively rare condition of abnormal growth in vascular plants in which the growing tip which normally is concentrated around a single point and produces approximately cylindrical tissue, instead becomes elongated perpendicularly to the direction of growth, thus producing flattened, ribbon-like, crested (or “cristate”), or elaborately contorted, tissue.
  • Fundatrix: stem mother, a viviparous parthenogenetic winged or wingless female aphid produced on the primary host plant from an overwintering fertilized egg
  • Inquiline: an animal exploiting the living space of another, e.g. an insect that lays its eggs in a gall produced by another (not the same as parasite because they don’t necessarily adversely affect the host.)
  • Intergrade: There are two types of intergradation: Primary intergradation: Occurs in cases were two subspecies are connected via one or more intermediate populations, each of which are in turn intermediate to their adjacent populations and exhibit more or less the same amount of variability as any other population within the species. Adjacent populations and subspecies are subject to cline intergradation, and in these situations it is usually taken for granted that the clines are causally related to environmental gradients. Secondary intergradation: When contact between a geographically isolated subspecies is reestablished with the main body of the species or with another isolate subspecies, interbreeding takes place as long as the isolate has not yet evolved an effective set of isolating mechanisms. Consequently, a relatively distinct zone or belt of hybridization will develop depending on the degree of genetic and phenotypic difference that was achieved by the previously isolated subspecies.
  • Isidia: [EYE-sid-ee-ah] ; small outgrowths of the thallus, from about 50 micrometres to a millimetre or so in length. They contain both fungal hyphae and photobiont cells and vary in shape, depending on species, from bulbous to cylindrical or branched, sometimes even coralloid .
  • Osmeteria: the “horns” on the head of swallowtail caterpillars. “…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…”
  • Soredia: [SORE-dee-ah] powdery grainy-looking balls composed of fungal hyphae wrapped around cyanobacteria or green algae on lichen; asexual reproduction
  • Teneral: of, relating to, or constituting a state of the imago of an insect immediately after molting during which it is soft and immature in coloring.
  • Thanatosis: “death drop” insect use to evade capture. Feigning death is a technique used by lots of different critters, including the opossum.
  • Thigmotropism: the turning or bending of a plant or other organism in response to a touch stimulus (what causes a vine to wrap around a tree, for example)

Travels of a Certified California Naturalist

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