tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45395272955969435102024-02-18T20:04:04.640-08:00The Sam Wells Bug PageSam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-11415640188523547842014-07-06T17:37:00.001-07:002014-07-06T17:37:21.724-07:00Stud Flat Below Cedar BreaksLast month I had a free couple of days and decided to spend them hiking with Kent, Spencer and Erik. We decided to go through the Ashdown Gorge Wilderness (Kent's suggestion) just a few miles east of Cedar City in Utah's red rock country. More than anything I was anticipating just getting away and seeing Cedar Breaks National Monument from the west side. I wasn't even thinking of scenic upland meadows when, after a couple of hours hiking we came into a clearing called Stud Flat.<br />
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After all, who would think that a place with such a name would be scenic? I was pleasantly surprised. Rising above the meadow are red rock formations with pine and fir forests all around. We decided that we would spend the night right there even though we weren't all that tired. We just couldn't bring ourselves to leave the place.<br />
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Just the week before I had driven through Yosemite's famous Tuolumne Meadows - also a high elevation meadow. It is famous as one of the gems of our (perhaps) most celebrated national park. And yet I can say that it isn't any more beautiful than Stud Flat in the spring. Here's a picture of a pair of large marbles (<em>Euchloe ausonides</em>) that I noticed near the meadow. I guess I should also mention how impressive the gorge is. We spent the following day hiking through its winding canyons. It may be a while before I do the gorge hike again though. But I can say with confidence that I will be back to see Stud Flat sooner than later. <br />
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Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-5033003145114103712014-06-22T13:41:00.000-07:002014-06-22T13:41:32.324-07:00Extra-terrestrial SheepLast week I found myself driving down a lonely Nevada highway listening to a boring audio book (by Sigmund Freud) when my eye wandered to a bright white mineral heap by the side of the road. As I looked closer I discovered that there were over a dozen bighorn sheep resting on top of it idly chewing their respective cuds.<br />
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I came to a belated stop, turned the truck around and pulled off the road to have a closer look. Surprisingly they didn't seem to be all that troubled by my presence. I wondered if perhaps they had been accustomed to stop at this place for water or some other human hand-out. <br />
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As I got closer still, they did become a little agitated and I heard a few half grunts and half bleats from the ewes and watched as adolescent rams came into line. They were all quite beautiful with their brown and white contrasting colors and a couple of the rams were old enough to have sizeable horns.<br />
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When I got back in my truck I realized that I was at the western end of the somewhat famous Extra-terrestrial Highway (ending at the Warm Springs crossroads) where the sheep were resting. Who knows, maybe they were quite used to the scenery and were just waiting for the show to start. <br />
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Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-73918015711701155842014-05-18T11:18:00.000-07:002014-05-18T11:18:06.178-07:00Hoplia Beetles on Western AzaleaOne of California's truly spectacular flowers is the western azalea. Every time I see this plant in bloom - with its large showy white flowers - I have to remind myself that this is not an escaped houseplant. <br />
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I came across a couple of these very beautiful bushes this last week near Big Creek (a few miles north of Pine Flat Reservoir) in Fresno County. On one of the plants I discovered dozens of <em>Hoplia</em> beetles. These are scarabs with only a single claw on each foot (tarsus) that are ideal for hanging onto plants.<br />
Fortunately for the azaleas, the beetles liked to aggregate around only a few flowers while feeding. I wonder if they taste as good as they look?<br />
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Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-38809651514982211662014-03-31T13:12:00.001-07:002014-04-21T12:52:39.889-07:00Panama Bird ListFollowing is a list of bird species seen in Panama during the second week of March, 2014 – by Steve Bonta, Jon Quist and myself. We started the week along Pipeline Road near the Panama Canal, worked our way west and up into the area around El Valle, then drove over to Bocas del Toro and finally back to Chitré to end the week. <br />
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Magnificent Frigatebird, Sandwich Tern, Laughing Gull, Herring Gull, Neotropic Cormorant, Brown Pelican, <br />
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Ruddy Ground Dove, Tropical Kingbird, Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture, Great Tailed Grackle, Yellow-headed Caracara, Rock Pigeon, Spotted Sandpiper, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Yellow-rumped Cacique, Plain Xenops, Song Wren, Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Golden-collared Manakin, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Crimson-backed Tanager, Black-chested Jay, Blue Cotinga, Louisiana Waterthrush, rufous-capped Warbler, Scarlet-rumped Tanager, Common Bush Tanager, Savannah Hawk, Crested Caracara, American Kestrel, Great Black Hawk, Anhinga, Wood Stork, Red-breasted Blackbird, Crested Oropendola, Green Ibis, Southern Lapwing (<strong>third picture</strong>), Northern Jacana, Purple Gallinule, Great Kiskadee, Swallow-tailed Kite, Pale-vented pigeon, Slate-colored Seedeater, Blue-black grassquit, Spectacled Antpitta, Smooth-billed Ani, Amazon Kingfisher, White-tailed Kite, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Tricolored Heron (<strong>first picture</strong>), Snowy Egret, Keel-billed Toucan, Common Tody Flycatcher, Masked Tityra, Little Blue Heron (<strong>second picture</strong>), White-shouldered Tanager, Osprey, Montezuma Oropendola, Large-billed Tern, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Prothonotary warbler, Semipalmated Plover, Willet, Whimbrel, White Ibis, Buff-breasted sandpiper, Straight-billed Woodcreeper, Clay-colored Thrush, Red Knot, Black-necked Stilt, Plain-breasted Ground Dove<br />
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Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-91879527927199616102014-01-22T14:37:00.002-08:002014-01-22T14:37:47.759-08:00December Birds at Joshua Tree National ParkLast month I took a side trip through Southern California's Joshua Tree National Park. December is an odd time of the year to make such a trip. There are very few plants blooming and much of the wildlife is hunkering down. But I had the time so I took the trip anyway.<br />
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I was in for a bit of a surprise when I stopped behind the northeast Visitors Center where there is a desert oasis of sorts. Flitting around in the palms was a bold cactus wren, that didn't seem to be bothered by me at all. </div>
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The ranger in the gift shop suggested that I walk along the path and check out the phainopeplas that were feeding on the mistletoe berries. </div>
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The above picture is of the uneaten berries. The picture below is of the digested ones on a wildlife marker. I sort of got the idea that phainopeplas don't like rabbits.<br />
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Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-65208458425338913962013-11-03T07:14:00.002-08:002013-11-03T07:14:54.188-08:00Tired November ButterfliesIt's now the beginning of November and still the rains have not come to Fresno with any sort of confidence. Our days are very pleasant in the 70's and the nights hardly get into the 40's. This is not unusual. Very often the first rains don't come until around Thanksgiving time, or even later. What this means for many of the late summer and fall insects is that they continue their lives without finding a place to over-winter, or of succumbing to the elements. They linger and they get worn out by their long lives.<br />
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Here is a gray hairstreak (<i>Strymon melinus</i>) that Kathy and I ran into along the path by Cottonwood Park yesterday while we were out enjoying the warm weather. It has lost much of its delicate wing "tail" and many of its cloudy gray scales - still a beautiful butterfly but clearly tired out.<br />
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The common buckeye (<i>Junonia coenia</i>) was also out along the narrow stream bank in the patches of flowering mint. I was amazed that such a worn-out creature could still fly.<br />
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There is also a catchment basin by the park with a gathering of waterfowl. A snowy egret (<i>Egretta thula</i>) was kind enough to fly close enough for a picture. I was impressed by the striking yellow markings on the face and legs when seen up close. <br />
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<br />Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-46563554483077434952013-10-12T10:49:00.001-07:002013-10-12T10:49:16.986-07:00Bagrada Bug in FresnoThe bagrada bug (<i>Bagrada hilaris</i>) has finally made it to Fresno. Michael Yang announced last week that he found it among Hmong farms in Fresno County. Two days ago, I found it in Fresno proper - on my own mizuna lettuce plants no less.<br />
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The large bug is the female and the smaller one (pictured twice) is the male. They are only about the size of a plant bug - maybe a bit bigger - but quite a bit smaller than other stink bugs (of the family Pentatomidae) which the bagrada bug is a member of.<br />
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I have a pretty small garden in the middle of suburban Fresno and it must have been a very lucky pair of bugs that found my lettuce plants. That, or maybe mizuna lettuce is just irresistible to the critters. You have to admit, they're pretty colorful.Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-42914121069200640432013-09-22T10:02:00.000-07:002013-09-22T10:02:52.762-07:00Oso Flaco LakeEarlier this month while traveling in San Luis Obispo County (along coastal California) I noticed an interesting state park with ample coastal dune habitat. I decided to stop and have a look.<br />
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I'm glad I did, it was a beautiful day (as most summer days are along the coast) and the lake was alive with waterfowl. A nice boardwalk bridge extends from the main path over the lake and a well-maintained trail continues on to the beach through rich coastal dune habitat.<br />
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I came across this Boisduval's blue (<i>Icaricia icarioides</i>) feeding on California aster (<i>Lessingia filaginifolia</i>) and a little further along I was able to catch a picture of a California thrasher<br />
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With a beautiful yellow ice-plant (the marigold ice-plant, <i>Conicosia pugioniformis</i>) in bloom nearby. <br />
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On the way back I caught a young phalarope swimming in the lake.<br />
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<br />Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-12203874893025512692013-07-28T08:35:00.000-07:002013-07-28T08:35:03.897-07:00Alpine Butterflies near Disappointment LakeEarlier this month a handful of us from Fresno took a 35 mile hike just east of Courtright Reservoir (in Fresno County) in the Sierra Nevada of California. Along the way we saw several beautiful butterflies – some of which I was lucky enough to get pictures of. <br />
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These first two pictures are at Post Coral Creek where this lovely greenish blue (<em>Plebejus saepiolus</em>) was enjoying the sun and white daisy.</div>
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Further up the trail toward Disappointment Lake (the name of which is a clear misnomer) I found one of the butterflies in the arctic blue complex (<em>Agriades franklinii</em>) feeding on Western bistort (<em>Polygonum bistortoides</em>).<br />
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And then even further up the trail (actually on boulders where there was no trail) just below the LeConte Divide we spotted a handful of checkerspots (in the Edith’s checkerspot complex – <em>Occidryas editha</em>). This is an amzing place for butterflies – at 11,000 feet on a windswept ridge where trees don’t even grow. What a beautiful place.</div>
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Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-52844513271209444072013-06-23T08:14:00.000-07:002013-06-23T08:14:31.546-07:00Butterflies on Desert Catalpa<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Last month, Jon and I took a detour on a dirt
road several miles SE of Baker, California. It lead to a dry wash filled with desert catalpa (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chilopsis linearis</i>) in full bloom. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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We found sphecid wasps (one just visible in the upper right corner in the picture above), a few species of bees and several butterflies all competing with each other in a feeding frenzy. The sleepy
oranges (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eurema nicippe</i>) disregarded
any sense of caution and plunged much of their bodies inside to get at the
nectar (making it easy to snap pictures). </div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSKgdtY3tmi9JQLQCUJl60WRPKDTVkbEO0fEnf6jEWOWMl5M4YYy8Swrh3eyjsJtKNIz-MUYoq7LrrooavxUEhXDT4ek80cs3MV_UrRZiLischNuBQN8N89rcMLijNLEgisZF0qoNeDc/s1600/DSC09211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSKgdtY3tmi9JQLQCUJl60WRPKDTVkbEO0fEnf6jEWOWMl5M4YYy8Swrh3eyjsJtKNIz-MUYoq7LrrooavxUEhXDT4ek80cs3MV_UrRZiLischNuBQN8N89rcMLijNLEgisZF0qoNeDc/s400/DSC09211.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
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The lovely great purple hairstreak (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Atlides halesus</i>) with metallic blue and
red scales was a bit more wary. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-5486410815503297382013-05-26T08:18:00.002-07:002013-05-26T08:18:48.291-07:00Kelso Dunes In Mid May<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Earlier this month we took a detour to check out the Kelso Dunes (SE of Baker, California). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We got there as the sun was going down and found several interesting insects. Jon spotted this impressive blister beetle (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cysteodemus armatus</i>) walking around in the sand among the vegetation along with several other beetles. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was a bit surprised to find a June beetle feeding (and probably pollinating?) a primrose. I’ve never seen this before. Here's a shot of a Western banded gecko (<em>Coleonyx variegatus</em>) that we found out hunting as soon as the stars came out. It's a bit blanched from the flash.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was a fun evening (although I did get stung in the lip by a tiphiid wasp). In the morning as we were driving away, we spotted a kit fox pup (<em>Vulpes macrotis</em> - the "big-eared fox") emerging from its den to enjoy the early sun. It sure was a cute thing.</span></div>
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Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-9580791332138962582013-04-28T09:13:00.001-07:002013-04-28T09:13:48.828-07:00Black-Chinned Hummingbird at Arroyo Seco<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
Late April is a great time to visit Arroyo Seco in Monterey, County, California (just a few miles west of Greenfield). There is a dirt road that winds up past the parking area but this is gated and you have to walk in to enjoy the canyon and the pretty emerald green stream that runs at the bottom. </div>
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The hills here are covered in wildflowers. And for me the most impressive were the many pale orange monkey flowers.</div>
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I watched several carpenter bees try and get at the nectar from the outside with their strong mandibles without success. Apparently the long flowers are too difficult for them to enter otherwise.</div>
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I also noticed several black-chinned hummingbirds flying about - and managed to catch this one juvenile on film feeding from a horse-mint flower.</div>
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I snapped a shot of the adult male the following morning not far from the trail (road) head. </div>
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Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-51262962530247649252013-04-02T08:14:00.000-07:002013-04-02T08:14:30.900-07:00Kodiosoma fulvumHere's a fascinating tiger moth that Jon, Michael and I found last week along the Merced River just south of Yosemite (in California). I didn't realize that it was a tiger moth at first. Jon snagged it in his net thinking it was an unusual bee - yes it was flying in the middle of the day. This is obviously not typical tiger moth behavior.<br />
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According to Powell and Opler (in <i>Moths of Western North America</i>) this small species (not much more than a centimeter long) has various color forms. It is also fairly uncommon. I have to admit that I have never seen a day-flying arctiid before - and certainly not in the month of March. It was a fun find.<br />
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<br />Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-24409905745117813382013-02-23T18:30:00.002-08:002013-02-23T18:30:44.027-08:00Central American Squirrel MonkeyThe Central American squirrel monkey (<i>Saimiri oerstedii</i>) is designated a vulnerable New World monkey. It doesn't seem to be so uncommon in the places it lives. It's just that there aren't many places where it does, actually, live.<br />
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Steve, Michael and I ran into a small machination of the monkeys on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica a couple of years ago. They were jumping through the trees right along the single dirt road that winds through the peninsula.<br />
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The monkey-crossing sign was actually photographed at the Wilson botanical area closer to the Panamanian border. You have to love a place that troubles itself about such things. <br />
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<br />Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-50039838688290264152013-01-19T15:34:00.002-08:002013-01-19T15:34:45.370-08:00The Laughing KookaburraHere are a couple of handsome birds (laughing kookaburras) that I found in the Memphis Zoo a few months ago. They're from eastern Australia. They are known for singing regularly just before sunrise and just after sunset. They eat mostly insects but are also know to eat rodents snakes and even other bird eggs.<br />
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Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-59817555433879103802012-12-31T15:29:00.001-08:002013-01-07T07:57:25.066-08:00Icaricia lupini monticolaThis is a picture of an individual of Clemence's blue that I found this last July in a mountain meadow south of Sequoia National Park. The elevation was around 7,000 feet.<br />
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This has been recognized as a subspecies of the lupine blue because there is a good deal of variaility between populations of the species. This population is particularly attractive with the coppery blue wings. The picture of the meadow is in the Freeman Creek Grove area.</div>
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Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-76148138237590624202012-12-14T15:31:00.002-08:002012-12-14T15:33:37.640-08:00Neduba sierranusThe Yosemite shieldback katydid (<em>Neduba sierranus</em>) is a Sierra Nevada specialty. Unlike its commoner green counterparts that we typically associate with late summer evenings (and that occasonally feed on unprotected citrus fruit) this brown species has no wings and is not green. And it can be active quite late in the year even in the snow.<br />
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We found this one hopping across the road in Sequoia National Park during the week of Thanksgiving. There was snow not far away - we were at an elevaton of about 7,000. This particular individual is a mature female. Notice the serrated ovipositer (egg-laying device) behind. </div>
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Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-15871126920994796452012-12-08T14:52:00.001-08:002012-12-08T15:22:50.534-08:00The Ceruchus Stag Beetles of North AmericaWe have three species of the stag beetle genus <i>Ceruchus</i> in the United States. They live under the bark of dead trees and are fairly small as stag beetles go (less than an inch long). they are often overlooked in the field because of their superficial resemblance to ground beetles or darkling beetles. Open closer inspection, however, they are easily recognized as stag beetles with their lop-sided clubbed antennae. Another stag beetle genus that looks somewhat like <i>Ceruchus </i>is<i> Platycerus</i> (and related genera). <i>Ceruchus</i> can be separated from these groups by the relatively straight antennae. In <i>Platycerus</i> the first segment of the antennae connect to the remaining segments at a right angle (we call this arrangement geniculate). In <i>Ceruchus</i> the segments follow each other without an angle. (Look closely at the image of <i>C. punctatus</i>. You can see the antenaae right at the base of the pronotum. The small segments arise from the end of the longer first segment that is just visible. Don't be confused by the curving of the segments near the club. This is typical of most stag beetles.)<br />
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One species (<i>C. piceus</i>) occures in southeastern Canada and throughout the northeastern part of the US. The color of this species is variable but is often has a bit more reddish color to it than the deep black which is typical of the genus.<br />
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<i>Ceruchus striatus </i>and <i>C. punctatus</i> occur in the western US. Their names are pretty diagnostic. <i>Ceruchus striatus</i> has clear and deep striae (the grooves down its back) whereas C. punctatus lacks the deep striae and has more obvious punctures.<br />
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<i>Ceruchus striatus</i> is fairly restricted to Washington, Oregon and parts of British Columbia (with some records in outlying areas). <i>Ceruchus punctatus</i> also occurs in these areas but can be found more commonly in California and Idaho.Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-41142105604835037912012-11-24T08:05:00.000-08:002012-11-24T08:05:52.086-08:00Big BaldyBig Baldy is a very worthwhile, and fairly easy, hike in King's Canyon National Park (in California). It is only a couple of miles from the trail head (which is just a few miles from the park entrance on Highway 180) and climbs maybe 1,000 feet. The top of Big Baldy itself is just over 8,000 feet. We decided to make the effort the day before Thanksgiving.<br />
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There was a bit of snow in sections of the trail, which is to be expected in November at this elevation. But the trail was nice and the view on top was well worth the effort. We could see the backbone of the High Sierra to the east, rolling hills in every direction, and even the top of the coastal range far to the west (thanks to Drew's sharp eyes). The valley was hazy but air moving in from the west was clearing up the atmosphere. We watched as rain fell from isolated clouds all around us.<br />
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This is definitely a hike for young and old alike - for anyone who likes to be outside and enjoy a walk in the woods - as long as the weather permits. The picture below is of Drew, Jon, and Michael at the trail head. <br />
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<br />Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-39948297086628734932012-11-17T06:57:00.000-08:002012-11-17T06:57:11.342-08:00Epargyreus clarusHere's a picture of the silver-spotted skipper (<i>Epargyreus clarus</i>) that I found feeding among lupine near Altamont, Utah this last June. It is a large species, as skippers go, and quite attractive. It occurs throughout the western US and feeds on a number of legumes.<br />
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The second picture shows it feeding in flight - sliding its long proboscis into the uneven curves of a cupped-shaped hypanthium. This is quite impressive if you stop to think about it: a relatively heavy insect holding itself in midair and twisting its slender mouthparts through an undulating tunnel to get nectar. Nature seems to know what she's doing.<br />
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<br />Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-22594122582796771852012-11-10T08:00:00.000-08:002012-11-10T08:00:56.520-08:00The Silver Beak TanagerIt occurred to me the other day while visiting the Memphis Zoo that there are a lot of fascinating creatures in the zoos of the world that ought to be more digitally recorded and available. There is a tremendous amount of history (can I call it natural history history?) and zookeeper expertise cloistered behind the fences of these animal parks that goes unrecorded. This is especially true, I think, of some of the smaller creatures that don't draw big crowds - but that might be unique organisms (or specialties) of a particular zoo. <br />
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So here is a picture of the silver beak tanager (<i>Ramphocelus carbo</i>) from northern South America, a creature that I have never seen in the wild and probably never will. Yet the good folks at the Memphis Zoo have taken care to make it available for visitors to see. What a beautiful bird. Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-91464478189881068842012-10-27T11:19:00.001-07:002012-10-27T11:19:29.571-07:00Ceruchus punctatusHere's a picture of <i>Ceruchus punctatus</i> one of the few stag beetle we get in California. It is only about half an inch long (maybe a bit more) - fairly small as stag beetles go, but still impressive.<br />
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Michael found it under the bark of a fallen pine at around 7,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada east of Bass Lake this year. It was June and the high country was just starting to open up for the year.<br />
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<br />Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-65138146797696750652012-10-19T09:39:00.004-07:002012-10-19T09:39:47.847-07:00Ortholeptura validaThis attractive longhorn beetle (<i>Ortholeptura valida</i>) was fairly abundant this year in the Sierra Nevada between 5,000 and 7,000 feet. This individual (measuring about an inch long , exclusive of the antennae) came to our light near Shaver Lake (above Fresno, California) a couple of moths ago. We also found a population above Wishon Reservoir (still Fresno County) in July.<br />
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Linsey and Chemsak (in the Cerambycidae of North America, Part VI. no. 2) list the host plants as <i>Abies, Tsuga, Pinus, </i>and<i> Pseudotsuga</i>. This individual probably came out of ponderosa pine or white fir - both fairly common around Shaver Lake <i>q.v.</i><br />
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<br />Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-23238556066813805932012-10-06T11:10:00.000-07:002012-10-06T11:10:03.634-07:00Erynnis speciesThis is an interesting dusky-wing skipper I found this summer in Altamont, Utah. My best guess is that it is a subspecies of Juvenal's dusky-wing (<em>Erynnis juvenalis</em>) but I'm not certain. These darker skippers often get overlooked and this is too bad. Look closely at the scale patterns on the wings. They are really very intricate.<br />
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I found this individual on an overcast summer day among the high desert sagebrush of northern Utah. This is a place that is frequently overlooked by nature-lovers. It can appear bleak at times - but this is an impression of trying to enjoy the area from a car travelling 70 miles an hour. If you get out and look around, you might be impressed. </div>
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Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539527295596943510.post-73849215768468753582012-09-30T18:48:00.001-07:002012-09-30T18:49:24.101-07:00Graveyard PeakGraveyard Peak is an infrequently climbed peak in the Sierra Nevada wilderness above Lake Edison (in the eastern end of Fresno County, California). I'm not quite sure what prompted me to climb it, other than a request from my son Michael to climb a mountain this year before the cold weather set in. Graveyard Peak caught my attention as I glanced over several maps looking for possibilities. I'm very glad we climbed it. Not that it was easy - in fact it was quite difficult. But the view along the way, and especially at the top, was indescribable. <br />
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Michael, Jon and I left Fresno at 5:00 yesterday morning and drove to Shaver Lake to pick up my friend Chad. We then drove another couple of hours along winding mountain roads to the Devil's Bathtub (an alpine lake) trailhead. It is at a parking area on the west side of the Lake Edison dam. The walk to Devil's Bathtub lake took us a couple of hours and was quite pleasant. It is 4 and a half miles from the trailhead and only climbs about 1,400 feet - not that bad of an ascent. As far as nice alpine Lake go, Devil's Bathtub is something to experience. It is much larger than I expected and has several nice camping areas. And the view is beautiful. You can see the lake with Graveyard peak in the background (upper right corner) in the group picture (below). </div>
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The hike from the lake up to Graveyard Peak (visible above the lake) is quite a different story. It goes up at a steep angle and there is no trail. You have to climb over 2,000 feet through stones and dwarf manzanitas. The last 1,000 feet is all boulders with a few sandy areas between. It isn't easy. There is a trail up to Graveyard Lakes that takes you closer to the peak than the scramble above Devil's Bathtub. But the climb from Graveyard Lakes to the peak is much too steep and dangerous to try unless you're an experience climber. </div>
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We didn't risk climbing the last 100 feet to the precarious summit from the ridge. We stopped at the point where I took the picture (above). But the view from ridge was beyond description. We counted over a dozen visible alpine lakes and the long chain of the Sierra backbone along with countless other ridges and forests. We didn't want to come down. </div>
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Sam Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00700231860846345395noreply@blogger.com2