August 22nd Santa Ynez Canyon Park

Another hot day but I tried Santa Ynez Canyon Park in the hopes that.it would be cooler. Got there at 11 AM and it was 87. It was already 85 at the beach so definitely not much cooler than any other day this week. However Santa Ynez does have more shade and a bit of a breeze so it was slightly more tolerable than some of the other places I’ve been lately.

I hoped by getting there a bit later I would avoid all the off leash dogs but no luck. I ran into 4 people all with off leash dogs and all of whom were throwing balls into the creek so their dogs could retrieve them. One woman was doing this as I walked by. She asked what I was taking photos of and I said wildlife. She told me I should have gotten there earlier to see wildlife. I then told her that there might be more wildlife around if people weren’t having their dogs run in the creek as there are tadpoles in there.. She told me that she thought the frogs “could handle it” and then proceeded to tell me that she knows some people come here to capture the tadpoles and raise them to frogs and then return them to the park. (The implication was that Her behavior was nothing compared to some other people’s behavior ) I said that people shouldn’t be doing that and she said I should mention it on Nextdoor but that I should be prepared to be attacked.

Anyway, this is one of the reasons I hate going to certain places...people always think they have more rights than the wildlife.

In spite of this negative encounter...and I’ve had more than a few at this place...I did find a few new insects. One of the more interesting finds was a very tiny green fly. I don’t think I’ve seen one quite like it. I also found what I think is a virgins bower plant of some sort, which to be honest I don’t think I’ve ever noticed here and I’ve been to this location probably more than a hundred times over the years. That’s what I love about inaturalist. I’ve become even more attuned to the environment around me.

Posted on August 23, 2020 04:14 AM by naturephotosuze naturephotosuze

Observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Leaf-miner Flies (Family Agromyzidae)

Observer

naturephotosuze

Date

August 22, 2020 12:42 PM PDT

Description

Santa Ynez Canyon
Definitely one of the most unique flies I've seen with that strange pointed tail--could it be an ovipositor? Very small fly on flowerhead of a telegraph weed.

Photos / Sounds

What

Western White Clematis (Clematis ligusticifolia)

Observer

naturephotosuze

Date

August 22, 2020 01:13 PM PDT

Description

Santa Ynez Canyon
This sort of looks like some sort of virgin's bower but I'm not sure the leaves are the same. I don't recall seeing these flowers in this location before but I probably just overlooked them

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