Photos / Sounds
What
Genus AedesObserver
elsemikkelsenDescription
Grabbed a quick picture before stopping it, but it already had gotten me.
Photos / Sounds
What
Tidepool Sculpin (Oligocottus maculosus)Observer
elsemikkelsenDescription
Found dried up on the beach
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What
Shiner Surfperch (Cymatogaster aggregata)Observer
elsemikkelsenDescription
Found dead on the beach
Photos / Sounds
What
Square-legged Camel Cricket (Tropidischia xanthostoma)Observer
elsemikkelsenDescription
There were multiple of these crammed into a narrow crack of this shallow damp cave that is on the beach.
Photos / Sounds
What
Narrow-collared Snail-eating Beetle (Scaphinotus angusticollis)Observer
elsemikkelsenDescription
Sorry for the horrible photo quality - it was dark in this little cave on the beach and I couldn't really see what I was doing (and had a very hard time getting my built-in flash to illuminate into the crack while also having them in my lens' view). Posting anyways to document this strange behaviour, with many of these beetles crammed side-by-side into this narrow crack of this damp cave.
Species ID may be dubious from the photo, but Scaphinotus angusticollis are the most abundant big beetle on Keats Island and their shiny maroon elytra (more noticeable in person than this photo) are rather distinctive.
Photos / Sounds
What
Mountain Sweet Cicely (Osmorhiza berteroi)Observer
elsemikkelsenDescription
Seeds
Photos / Sounds
What
Western Tent Caterpillar Moth (Malacosoma californica)Observer
elsemikkelsenDescription
There are also Malacosoma disstria on Keats Island, but I believe the darker colour of this one with the extent of white on the forewing transverse lines makes this M. californicum.
Photos / Sounds
What
Morrison's Pero Moth (Pero morrisonaria)Observer
elsemikkelsenDescription
Ruling out P. honestaria:
-black spot near outer margin of forewing
-jagged tooth-like indent in forewing median band
-faint white ST line on mottled postmedian area of forewing
Photos / Sounds
What
Cleavers (Galium aparine)Observer
elsemikkelsenDescription
Leaves with fine teeth pointing backwards and bristle-like points. Forming a sprawling mat.
Photos / Sounds
What
Little Prince's Pine (Chimaphila menziesii)Observer
elsemikkelsenDescription
Same spot (if not same individual) as this observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/83017887
Somewhat uncommon on Keats Island, a couple plants have been at the same exact spot for years.
Photos / Sounds
What
Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)Observer
elsemikkelsenDescription
Feeding on Rubus vestitus
Photos / Sounds
What
Blinded Sphinx (Paonias excaecata)Observer
elsemikkelsenDescription
Hanging from a dogwood tree on a blustery day
Photos / Sounds
What
Western Tent Caterpillar Moth (Malacosoma californica)Observer
elsemikkelsenDescription
There are also Malacosoma disstria on Keats Island, but I believe the darker colour of this one with the extent of white on the forewing transverse lines makes this M. californicum.
Photos / Sounds
What
Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis)Observer
elsemikkelsenDescription
Dec 21 observation. Flowering on the winter solstice!
An Anna’s Hummingbird was checking the flowers.
Photos / Sounds
What
Self Heal (Prunella vulgaris)Observer
elsemikkelsenDescription
Flowering on Jan 1
Photos / Sounds
What
European Blackberry (Rubus vestitus)Observer
elsemikkelsenDescription
Placeholder- I need to download my closeup photos. I’ve seen this plant in spring, when it has pink flowers and abundant stipitate glands. I wanted to see whether these diagnostic glands were still identifiable on the dead floricanes in winter. Some better preserved strands had stipitate glands visible, but for the most part they were worn off or otherwise not upright and reliably visible. ID here is still possible by leaf shape but absence if stipitate glands seems to not be a reliable ID feature on dead winter branches here since they can be really hard to find on dead Rubus vestitus (at least without a microscope).
I had no difficulty seeing the stipitate glands on this plant in the summer, but now I can barely see them, and I'm not sure I would have recognized the little stubs as stipitate glands if I hadn't known they should be there on this individual plant.
