merav's Favorites
Photos / Sounds
What
Live Oak Petiole Gall Wasp (Melikaiella flora)Observer
yerbasantaDescription
Collected 9/15/23, refrigerated in a ziploc bag until 9/24 and dissected Quercus agrifolia acorn.
Callirhytis sp.?
Collected acorn from same tree, same date/time as the acorn gall observations below:
Photos / Sounds
What
Trupanea californicaObserver
chyropteraDescription
Stem gall on Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)
All found in same patch of plants:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/184160738
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/184160742
Photos / Sounds
What
Gall Midges (Subfamily Cecidomyiinae)Observer
yerbasantaDescription
Update of 9/2/23 observation of Artichoke gall-like observation found on Quercus agrifolia.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/181449885
Larvae preserved in 40% ethanol and refrigerated.
Larvae measure ~2.5mm in length.
Photos / Sounds
What
Oak Gall Wasps (Tribe Cynipini)Observer
leslie_flintDescription
California Scrub Oak; This gall was found last year by Merav Vonshak except it was purple; I assume it will turn purple with time; this was a cluster of at least 3, maybe 4 galls. Gallformers: q-dumosa-pip-gall
Photos / Sounds
What
Trupanea californicaObserver
lumenalDescription
Stem swelling (gall) on Pearly Everlasting
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus BrasemaObserver
owickiDescription
Looks like this is a parasitoid on Coyote Bush Bud Gall Midge, Rhopalomyia californica.
I'm just guessing on the species because Russo says that Platygaster californica is the most common parasitoid on the galls and photos I've seen are roughly the same. But I gather that there are a handful of others, some from different families like Torymidae and Pteromalidae.
The other photos show the twig and the wasp apparently ovipositing or getting ready to do that.
Photos / Sounds
What
Knotting Gall (Chirosia betuleti)Observer
randomtruthDescription
On Athyrium filix-femina. Think this is the right gall ID, but perhaps there's a similar species local to CA?
Photos / Sounds
What
Oak Gall Wasps (Tribe Cynipini)Observer
chilipossumDescription
@graysquirrel @merav @norikonbu @nancyasquith @megachile @garth_harwood
This is a fun one!
On Quercus berberidifolia, California scrub oak
https://www.gallformers.org/gall/3746
Photos / Sounds
What
Insects (Class Insecta)Observer
dlbowlsDescription
Gall on a nonnative pine in a park? I am looking at the brown thing on the green cone. I am not sure if this is a gall. I will remove it from the gall project if it is not.
Photos / Sounds
What
California Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma californiense)Observer
parpedDescription
Night heron with salamander?? ID please.
Photos / Sounds
What
Andricus stellulusObserver
dlbowlsDescription
White Oaks, probably California Scrub Oak.
Photos / Sounds
What
Coral Gall Wasp (Burnettweldia corallina)Observer
norikonbuDescription
On blue oak
Photos / Sounds
What
Subgenus MyrmaObserver
nickybayDescription
Infected by cordyceps fungus with lacewing eggs on the fungus.
Photos / Sounds
What
Plain-bellied Watersnake (Nerodia erythrogaster)Observer
ashwinvn2Description
Eating a tilapia
Photos / Sounds
What
Chinese Green Tree Viper (Trimeresurus stejnegeri)Observer
xiongtongziDescription
吃天目臭蛙
Photos / Sounds
What
Gall Midges (Subfamily Cecidomyiinae)Observer
lorri-gongDescription
on blue blossom ceanothus
Photos / Sounds
What
Saucer Gall Wasp (Andricus gigas)Observer
emmasheltonDescription
Scrub Oaks here are Gall Gold Mines!
Photos / Sounds
What
Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis)Observer
tiwaneDescription
Saw at least two males, and I believe I briefly saw one female.
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus DiastrophusObserver
graysquirrelDescription
On runners of Fragaria vesca
Photos / Sounds
What
Pacific Purple Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus)Observer
tristinanoushmchugh
Photos / Sounds
What
Leather Limpet (Onchidella borealis)Observer
kestrelDescription
Quite a few of them cruising around in the tube snails!
Photos / Sounds
What
Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)Observer
benshemerDescription
צילום: יעל ארבל
Photos / Sounds
What
Poplar Gall Aphid (Pemphigus bursarius)Observer
leslie_flintDescription
Black Poplar
https://gallformers.org/gall/3450
Photos / Sounds
What
Columbian Watermeal (Wolffia columbiana)Observer
graysquirrelDescription
Measuring from 0.8 to 1.1 mm in length
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus HeteropogonObserver
kuedaDescription
We observed at least three that were active on the small, bare branches above a larger fallen tree. This pair was engaged in what looked like some kind of courtship display, in which one (the male?) would hover facing another (the female?). The one in flight held its front legs out and would occasionally do a split with its hind legs out (and apparently sometimes make a "heart" gesture with its middle legs?!), while the perched individual would occasionally wave its hind legs in the air.
Photos / Sounds
What
California Newt (Taricha torosa)Observer
truthseqrDescription
Found in the little pool at the Limekiln trailhead.
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus LasiopteraObserver
yerbasantaDescription
Gall on Tritileia ixioides stem below flower.
Appeared to be hollow within, but I wasn't willing to completely tear open.
No frass visible within, large cavity. Many seen along this trail.
Photos / Sounds
What
New World Tarantula-hawk Wasps (Genus Pepsis)Observer
anudibranchmomDescription
Repeatedly bombing the young whiptail.
Photos / Sounds
What
Chaparral Yucca (Hesperoyucca whipplei)Observer
ronald28Description
On a hill above the Coyote Creek Trail, north of Embedded Way. The location is an estimate, but one of the pictures shows its location relative to the trail.
Photos / Sounds
What
False Map Turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica)Observer
chyropteraDescription
ID tentative
Photos / Sounds
What
Pacific Lion's Mane Jelly (Cyanea ferruginea)Observer
chyropteraDescription
Really amazing
Tentacles were still moving-tide was still rising
Photos / Sounds
What
Sunflower Sea Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides)Observer
chyropteraDescription
Yay!
Photos / Sounds
What
Gyros muiriiObserver
euproserpinusDescription
This may be the first record for western Fresno County in the San Joaquin Desert. There is a Fresno County record in the California Moth Specimen Database from Kaiser Pass (~9200' in the Sierra Nevada). Last year I also found the species in similar habitat in eastern San Benito County. There are other records west of the San Joaquin Valley in Del Puerto Canyon, Mt. Hamilton, and Mt. Diablo. This individual is in very fresh condition and has by far the lightest forewing overscaling I've ever seen.
Photos / Sounds
What
Columbian Black-tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus ssp. columbianus)Observer
truthseqrDescription
Such strange antlers!
I saw one similar to this last season and reported it to the park authorities:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/149359558
Here's the response I got from Natural Resource Program (SCC Parks):
"Deer can have misshaped antlers for several reasons: trauma to the antler growth points, trauma to other parts of the body, hormone imbalances, genetics, and disease. It is difficult to know what the cause is without blood testing. I am not aware of any current outbreaks of concern in the Bay Area's deer populations, but I have forwarded your photos onto CA Fish and Wildlife just in case. They monitor disease and the overall health of dee populations in California."
Here's the response I got from a CAFW wildlife biologist on 5/17/23:
"These bucks have peruke (look it up on the Internet) most likely due to some dysfunction or lack of production of testosterone. No cause for concern about spread of diseases and is best just to let them live out their lives. This condition is not rare."
References:
- https://meridian.allenpress.com/jwd/article-abstract/58/1/222/473763/Investigation-into-Causes-of-Antler-Deformities-in?redirectedFrom=fulltext
- https://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/health_program/docs/Cactus_buck_Q_and_A.pdf
- https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/species/disease/pdfs/peruke_antlers_poster.pdf
(Los Cochas Ridge Trail)
Photos / Sounds
What
California Clam Shrimp (Cyzicus californicus)Observer
pinnaclesnpDescription
Photo Credit: NPS/Paul G. Johnson
Photos / Sounds
What
Ladybirds (Family Coccinellidae)Observer
damontigheDescription
on California Bay Laurel
Photos / Sounds
What
Animals (Kingdom Animalia)Observer
anudibranchmomDescription
About 40 egg capsules or cysts attached to a submerged twig in vernal pool. About 3-4 mm, in rows, slightly soft with small dark marks (openings?) on each. Third photo shows what might be an opened one?
Adult Lepidurus packardi, copepods and other vernal pool life present (past the time for adult fairy shrimp). @aidona @aidonakakouros @merav
Photos / Sounds
What
Silktassel Flower Gall Midge (Asphondylia garryae)Observer
leslie_flintDescription
Silktassel
Photos / Sounds
What
Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)Observer
emmasheltonDescription
It looks like Witches’ Broom but it’s on Toyon. I’ve seen this elsewhere @norikonbu @nancyasquith . I saw it on Toyons at Waterdog Lake I think? Will have to check. I can’t find other references. There was a lot on this particular tree.
Photos / Sounds
Observer
nealkelsoDescription
On Peltigera. Sciaridae is a placeholder until a further determination can be made. There are lots of presumed mines on soil-substrate Peltigera in the area, seemingly only on wetted portions of the thalli. Edit: last two photos of a larva that came out of a lower (to the ground), inner portion of thallus.
Photos / Sounds
What
Southern Banded Newt (Ommatotriton vittatus)Observer
ariel-shamirPlace
Missing LocationDescription
Southern banded newt eaten by Great Egret (Ardea alba)
טריטון הפסים ניצוד על ידי לבנית גדולה
