arlenedevitt's Journal

Chicken of the Woods - Almost too chicken to show up on the West Coast.
Laetiporus sulphureus aka Chicken of the Woods is the Eastern North America species.
West Coast has Western Hardwood Shelf Laetiporus gilbertsonii if on hardwood or
Laetiporus conifericola aka Conifer Chicken of the Woods if on conifer.
Thank you @damontighe and @myco8p.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/62158987#activity_identification_135908395
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/59024411
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/54351673

I was pretty confident of my Clarkia I.D.s just based off my native plant books--until I met Sonoma Clarkia. For me it was just Farewell-to-Spring until @s_pike kindly educated me writing "Drooping bud is certainly not going to be on a Farewell-to-Spring. It’s Sonoma Clarkia. As to whether most C. gracilis in Sonoma is the subspecies, I’m not totally sure! If you see these mid-leaf red spots on this shade of pink it most likely is Sonoma Clarkia. But I wouldn’t be surprised if there was plenty of normal gracilis as well." Now I know what to look for and why just another pretty flower photo might not be enough. I am also happy to recognize and honor our local variety by name.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/53918062
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/59938950
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/51183769

I am wondering, did the ash from the Glass Fire kill Monarch caterpillars? This year I planted milkweeds in my yard. Over two days a Monarch laid her eggs on the plants. I collected each leaf I could find with an egg--about 29 in all. The leaves were carefully taped to heavy paper. From every egg a tiny caterpillar hatched. Most dined on their own eggs. Afterwards, I carefully transferred them by a fine paint brush to the milkweed in my butterfly cage where they begin eating the leaves. As the days passed, the caterpillars grew fewer in number. From passed experience, I knew that some caterpillar cannibalisms would likely occur. What I didn't expect was the dying off of caterpillars at all stages of their growth process and particularly in the earlier phases. I wondered if toxins from the fires interfered with their ability to molt. I have about six left. Did my caterpillars experience a "Silent Spring" this fall?

Of course I tried to wash the ashes from the leaves of all my garden plants. Ash was ubiquitous this year showing up in iNat photos across the county. Some of my photos had a hazy sunset look caused by the piled up of smoke in the atmosphere. Perhaps smoke was a contributing factor. In any case, the caterpillars failed to thrive.

I will see how many successfully transform into chrysalises and how many emerge as butterflies. Will the air quality impact their survival at this late stage in their development? If, indeed, air quality is the problem?

I recall hearing that caterpillars breathe through their skin and found more information at Science Daily: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110822151016.htm in this article titled: "Low oxygen triggers moth molt: Caterpillars have a respiratory system that is fixed in size." Could my caterpillars have been triggered to molt prematurely and unsuccessfully? I hope to hear caterpillar news from our scientific community.

What's great about iNat is the people. And I have to credit the great people behind the scenes who created and maintain the platform. Sure identifying fantastic stuff is fun and there are some amazing photos; but, some of the interactions are just great. You have to be pretty humble and willing to be wrong. Admit your mistakes. Thank your teachers, and keep moving forward. It's a pretty fantastic place where you can share your passion for fungi and find yourself in the company of great scientists and naturalists.

Certainly, some photos are better than others. I try to photograph a subject in such a way that honors the specimen. I much admire my iNat colleagues for some truly excellent work. Sometimes, I just have to take a photo to document something. The lighting may be poor. The background may be plain. The animal may be dead. The subjects may be in flagrante delicto. Indeed, there is at least one iNat site dedicated to cataloging breeding behavior. There is even a Dead Mammals project. Nonetheless and despite my best efforts, I've had some outright failures by my own admission.

My dead rat is resoundingly ignored. Yet the dead racoon, deer, and pelican are immediately identified. The pelican is even adding to a birding site.

Rat - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/60387910

Raccoon - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/56669404

Deer - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/52553644

Pelican - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/61457522

Yet my brother-in-law's very clear photo of two flesh flies in the act receives profound inattention. Whereas, the much cuter Western Leaf-cutter bee photo, from a refreshing front perspective is adorable. Thank you catchang for your beautiful work. The bee's face was so cute and it antennae so jaunty that I must of looked at the picture five times before I noticed the bee beneath it.

Common Flesh Flies - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/59191860

Cute bee photo - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/61973069

Yes, the good, the bad, and the ugly are all here with us in life and online. All we can do is try to capture a better photo when possible, admire the excellent work of our colleagues, and pardon ourselves for posting the occasional bad photo when our impulse to document is greater than our compunction.