Happy Halloween!
Whether celebrating it or not,
I hope nature casts a spell on you!
(Scroll down to view my
latest natural history blog!)
Saturday, October 31, 2020
Going for a Drive
Cottonwood Tree on Highway 89 - 10/14/20
Last week my friend Mary, who is currently unable to hike, took me on a day trip in Plumas County. We saw lots of gorgeous fall color throughout the day! On part of the trip, we drove alongside Indian Creek, that was bordered in the beautiful yellows, oranges, and reds of willows, Indian Rhubarb, grasses, and oaks. At one point I hiked down to Indian Falls, where there was a small cascade tumbling down impressive rock formations. We ended up on the edge of Indian Valley, where the towns of Taylorsville and Greenville are located. Taylorsville is a tiny agricultural community with a population of only 244 people!. Just a few miles away is Greenville, with a population of 1,108. The dry valley was peppered with cows, and the farms along the roadside had a few delightful scarecrows on display! Indian Valley is rimmed by ridges and looks a lot like Sierra Valley, but is just a fraction of its size.
Indian Valley - 10/14/20
Black Oak - Indian Falls
Indian Creek - Indian Rhubarb
Warbler Pond
On the way to Indian Valley we stopped at a roadside creek and watch a small group of Yellow-rumped Warblers and Lesser Goldfinches feeding. The warblers were hawking insects out of the air like flycatchers! The goldfinches were gleaning seeds from the ground and in the bushes. I have seen lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers this year. I hadn't realized how common they are!
Yellow-rumped Warblers (males) - Lesser Goldfinch (male)
Dendroica coronata - Carduelis psaltria
Sierra Valley 10/16/20
Sierra Valley!
Mary and I also drove over to Sierra Valley one evening last week. It was gorgeous as usual, but quite dry. The fields were filled with burnished, dry reeds and grasses. Their coppery auburn and honey colors contrasted beautifully with the blue-sky water of the ponds and canals.
Sierra Valley 10/16/20
Although the fields were dry, the waterways were full! There are lots of small dams, canals, and water-gates out in Sierra Valley. They open and close the waterways according to their irrigation needs. They must not be irrigating the fields anymore, and are diverting the water to the main streams and canals.
There weren't many birds in sight. They must have migrated to warmer elevations for the winter. Mary spotted this beautiful Red-tailed Hawk on the ventilator of an old out-building. I luckily got a photo of it just before it flew away! What majestic beautiful wings it had! It probably stays in Sierra Valley all year, even in winter, as long as it can find small mammals to feed on.
Savannah Sparrow - Western Meadowlark
Passerculus sandwichensis - Sturnella neglecta
We saw several Savannah Sparrows and one beautiful Western Meadowlark!
The Savannah Sparrows will migrate down to southern California and into Mexico for the winter. The Meadowlarks will probably migrate down to the foothills or the Central Valley for the winter. It seemed as if they had the valley to themselves!
Spider threads in Abundance!
In the early evening sun, millions of spider threads were backlit against the dry grasses! Everywhere, the fields were covered in gossamer threads! It was glistening, breathtaking beauty! The following passage from Gods of the Morning, by Sir John Lister-Kaye, beautifully describes this same natural occurrence in Scotland!
"It was neither mist nor smoke. It was silk. Spiders' web silk. The massed gossamer threads of millions of tiny spiders dispersing by a process known as "ballooning". Every long grass stem, every dried dock head, every tall thistle, every fence post held, at is apex, a tiny spiderling - what we commonly know as a money spider - poised, bottom upturned to the wind in what has been described as the "tiptoe position' and from which single or multiple threads of silk were being spun. Other spiders were queuing beneath, awaiting their turn. As each slowly lengthening thread caught the wind we could watch the spider hanging on, tightening its grip on the stem or the seed head, while the gently tugging threads extended ever longer into the breeze.
For the tiniest spiders lift-off happened when the threads were ten or fifteen feet long, but slightly larger spiders spun for much more - perhaps twice that length. Then they let go. The spiders were airborne, sailing gently up, up and away across the fields, gaining height all the time quite literally ballooning down the valley with the wind.
I have no idea where my spiders landed. Some, I'm sure, achieved only the end of the field or the line of trees at is margin but that wasn't what mattered to me. It was the overwhelming spectacle of the massed legions, the unassailable conviction in their singular marches up the stems, the unswerving certainty of their resolve, their uninstructed dedication to the species' cause and the astonishing hordes of their silken outpouring clotting the sky that gripped me that day. A day never forgotten."
Unfortunately we didn't look for the spiders! We were just awestruck by the light-filled threads. "Money Spiders" are called "Dwarf Spiders" in the U.S. They are in the Linyphiidae family, in the genera of Lepthyphantes and Erigone. Next year we'll look for the spiders!
This is my first attempt at adding a video to my blog. I still don't know how to edit a video, so I apologize for its unprofessionalism. However, I like how it shows the beauty of the backlit spider threads moving in the wind! Enjoy!
Sierra Valley 10/16/20
We stayed in the valley past sunset, and enjoyed the serene, calm beauty of the big open space around us. The quiet was so peaceful, as we watched the brilliant sunset diminish. This is truly the best way to spend our days! Out observing nature, with nothing else on our minds.
We Still Need Rain!
Once again I am sending out a "Call for Art" in celebration of rain. My intention is to focus on the need for rain, and through collective positive energy invoke rain to fall. It is just a wish, a thought, and a hope. If you would like to submit some art, or writing, or a photo please check out my blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com. I will be posting new art weekly.
You can view what was submitted last year at dampearth.blogspot.com.
Check it out and pray for rain!
Will it freeze this week?
What's happening in the Lakes Basin?
Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!
Unfortunately you can no longer sign up to get my blog emailed to you.
Something changed at Blogspot.com. Oh well... However, my blog looks better if you just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com, rather than get the emailed version. I suggest that you just bookmark my blog and visit it every Sunday afternoon!
Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated!
Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com
Friday, October 23, 2020
A Few Unusual Sightings!
Virginia Opossum - Didelphis virginiana
On Tuesday afternoon my neighbor called me and said there was an Opossum in their garbage can, if I wanted to take pictures! So of course I ran down to see it. They gently dumped it out of the garbage can when I got there, and unfortunately it had got a hind foot tightly tangled up in a mass of frayed nylon rope! We put a towel over it and I carefully cut the nylon off its swollen foot. It was hot in the sun so my neighbor, Tammy, hung the towel on their fence and the Opossum scooted behind it. Tammy then put a plate of fruit and a cup of water by the opossum, and it ate and drank!!! It was so cute to watch! After a while it started walking away, but it dragged its swollen hind foot. Because they have a dog, we decided to put the Opossum in our garden where it would be safer. We transported it in a dog carrier and let it out in our garden. It promptly scurried off, and its hind foot was actually working and not so swollen! It came to a brush pile and scrabbled into it, where it probably stayed until it was dark. We left some grapes for it to eat, and in the morning lots of them were gone! We haven't seen it since, and hope it's doing good out there in the wild! How fun it was to help and observe this lovely wild creature!
Virginia Opossum - Didelphis virginiana
Virginia Opossums are marsupials, in which the young are born incompletely developed and are typically carried and suckled in a pouch on the mother's belly. They are the only marsupials native to North America. Although originally found in the southern states and South America, they have been expanding their range to the north and west. This might be related to the warmer winters we've been having, and their ability to live around people where more food and shelter are available. However, they cannot live in extreme cold, as they do not hibernate, have furless ears and tails susceptible to frostbite, have inadequate thermoregulatory abilities, and poorly insulated fur. They prefer to live near water, in woodlands and thickets, from sea-level to 9,000'!
They are usually solitary, nocturnal, and terrestrial, but can also climb trees with a prehensile tail and big toes that work like thumbs!!! They are omnivores and eat vertebrates, invertebrates, plant material, fruits, grains, and carrion. In the wild they have a short life span of only 1.5 to 2 years! They are preyed on by owls, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, bobcats, and even large snakes!
Virginia Opossums begin breeding at 10 months, and have an 8 month breeding period! Males practice polygyny and mate with several females. Females only breed with one male. The females have 1-3 litters, depending on the climate where they live. After a really short gestation period of 12-13 days, females give birth to 1-25 "honey bee" sized babies that weigh 0.13-0.20 grams and are only 14mm long. So tiny!!! These newborns are not fully developed, but posses muscled front legs that make it possible for them to climb from the birth canal to their mother's pouch. A lot of the newborns don't make it to the pouch. Usually only 8 complete the journey! Once they get in the pouch they latch on to one of the 13 nipples and stay there for 50 to 70 days! They then emerge from the pouch and ride around on their mother's back as she forages for food!!! At 85 days they start to eat solid food, and are completely weaned in 93-105 days! They then begin their solitary life, but only about 40% live to be adults! They must fall prey to lots of predators! I find this all so interesting! How lucky to see one of these unusual marsupials in my neighborhood!
Sharp-shinned Hawk - Accipiter striatus (juvenile)
Neighborhood Birds
On Wednesday morning there was an audible commotion going on among the local birds near our garden. I hung out and waited and watched and sure enough I saw a Sharp-shinned Hawk perch in a tree. The Steller's Jays were mildly harassing it, but it only shifted its position in the tree. Eventually it flew off and landed in the dead top of an alder tree that overhangs our garden! Luckily I was able to get some photos! What a beauty! I see these small hawks, only 11" in length, several times a year in our area. It is so similar in appearance to Cooper's Hawks that I always post my photos on iNaturalist.org to get a definite identification. Cooper's Hawks are larger, with a length of 16.5". In the field I find it quite difficult to determine bird size. It's great to have iNaturalist.org as a resource!
The Sharp-shinned Hawk is the smallest hawk in the US and Canada. They are forest predators, like the Northern Goshawk. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology states, "These raptors have distinctive proportions: long legs, short wings, and very long tails, which they use for navigating their deep-woods homes at top speed in pursuit of songbirds and mice." Small songbirds are the main prey of this hawk species, and there are lots of songbirds in our garden right now! They use surprise attack as their main method of capture. They will eat birds as small as an Anna's Hummingbird, or as large as a Mountain Quail! They will pluck off most of the feathers of their prey before they eat them!
They are listed as a "vulnerable" species. Wikipedia states, "A vulnerable species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as likely to become endangered unless the circumstances that are threatening its survival and reproduction improve. Vulnerability is mainly caused by habitat loss or destruction of the species home." They do not live here year-round, and mainly breed up in Canada and Alaska.
Sharp-shinned Hawk - Accipiter striatus (juvenile)
Later that afternoon we were down in the garden and heard some alarmed, squeaking bird calls and this Sharp-shinned Hawk flew out of the garden with something in its claws! I also saw it fly down the road the following morning. How lucky it was to see this beautiful little hawk in our area!
California Scrub Jay - Western Meadowlark
Aphelocoma californica - Sturnella neglecta
We also had some uncommon songbirds stop by this week! There was one California Scrub Jay down by our garden for a day! Normally these birds inhabit the foothill area. I also saw three brilliant-yellow Western Meadowlarks in the dry grasses along the highway. My guess is that they have flown over from Sierra Valley on their migration to their winter residence in the foothills and central valley. So beautiful!!!
Common Raven - Corvus corax
Lakes Basin Birds
We've had two weeks of smoke-free weather and super-clear air, and I've been hiking in the Lakes Basin as much as I can! On one of our hikes we watched approximately 30 Common Ravens windsurfing above a small bluff!!! It looked like they were having a joyous time! Ravens are in the Corvid Family of birds, along with Crows, Jays, Magpies, and Nutcrackers. Corvids are highly intelligent, as well as the most playful of birds! Ravens are the most playful species of Corvids! They have been know to repeatedly slide down a snowy slope, drop and catch twigs in the air, as well as perform aerial acrobatics! I don't often see large groups of ravens, usually just one pair of them at a time. It seemed liked they had congregated together at this bluff just to play in the wind! About 14 of them flew past, perched in some nearby firs, and checked us out for a while. After a few minutes they flew back to the bluff and recommenced their wind surfing!!! Wow! What fun it was to watch these delightful, playful ravens! We are SO lucky!
Sandhill Cranes - Antigone canadensis
To our delight the Sandhill Cranes flew overhead on two separate days in the Lakes Basin!!! We love hearing their loud, rubbery calls in the Fall, signaling their return from their breeding grounds in the Arctic. They will spend their winter in the Central Valley/Delta areas of California. Such joy it brings to see them again!
Red Osier Dogwood - Bog Asphodel - Quaking Aspen
Cornus sericea ssp. sericea - Narthecium californicum - Populus tremuloides
More Lakes Basin Beauty!
The Lakes Basin is still in gorgeous Fall color! The Aspens are at their peak and the ground cover and shrubs are glowing! Get out there if you can! Here's a few photos from our recent hikes! Enjoy!
Grassy Lake Aspens - 10/15/20
Silver Lake - 10/16/20
Mt. Elwell - 10/16/20
Little Deer Lake - 10/16/20
Nevada Bumblebee - Long-horned Bee
Bombus nevadensis - Melissodes sp.
Garden Bee Identification
Bugguide.net identified these garden bees for me. The blonde one is a Nevada Bumblebee and the one on the right is a Long-horned bee. These are only two of the 1,600 species of native bees found in California! Sheesh! The more you know the more you realize you don't know much!
We Still Need Rain!
Once again I am sending out a "Call for Art" in celebration of rain. My intention is to focus on the need for rain, and through collective positive energy invoke rain to fall. It is just a wish, a thought, and a hope. If you would like to submit some art, or writing, or a photo please check out my blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com. I will be posting new art weekly.
You can view what was submitted last year at dampearth.blogspot.com.
Check it out and pray for rain!
Yes, the bears are around eating the local apples!
I haven't seen one in person, but have seen lots of their apple-filled scat!
What's happening in Sierra Valley?
Will it freeze this week?
Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!
Unfortunately you can no longer sign up to get my blog emailed to you.
Something changed at Blogspot.com. Oh well... However, my blog looks better if you just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com, rather than get the emailed version. I suggest that you just bookmark my blog and visit it every Sunday afternoon!
Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated!
Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com
Saturday, October 17, 2020
River Otters!!!
River Otter - Lontra canadensis
River Otter - Lontra canadensis
When the Otter had eaten about half the fish, it moved a short distance downstream to finish eating its catch. You can just see the last of the trout in its open mouth, in the above photo.
River Otter - Lontra canadensis
This is the River Otter that was waiting for the other one to finish eating. When you see two River Otters together it isn't a mated pair, it's usually a female and her offspring. These two were definitely in tune with each other!
I've written about River Otters in several past blogs. For more information on Otters go to my Sept. 9, 1918 and my March 1, 2020 blogs.
Columbian Black-tailed Deer (bucks) - Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
A week ago I had another interesting sighting in the river. I saw two Columbian Black-tailed Deer, walking along in the edge of the river! They were both bucks, but one was much smaller and younger than the other! These two were also definitely in tune with each other, with the younger one following the older one!
Round Lake - 10/08/20
Clouds but unfortunately no Rain
Last weekend we were hoping to hike in the rain, up in the Lakes Basin. Beautiful clouds hung over the basin all day, but not a drop fell. It was however, smoke-free and beautiful! The fall colors are still incredible, especially the shrubs!
Mountain Ash - Sorbus californicus
Mountain Ash is a native shrub in the Sierra, that grows in moist areas, as well as coniferous forests and woodlands from 4000'-9,000' in elevation. The leaves turn a lovely tawny-yellow to pinkish-red, and the berries are bright-red in the Fall. In the photo above, the berries have been partially eaten, perhaps by birds, bears, or other critters.
Dwarf Bilberry - Mountain Spiraea/Rose Meadowsweet
Vaccinium caespitosum - Spiraea splendens
Dwarf Bilberry is also native to California from sea-level to 12,000' in elevation! Up in the Lakes Basin it is often found in the company of Spiraea. Spiraea is native to the northern Sierra, and grows along coniferous forest edges and in moist meadows, from 3,000' to 10,000' in elevation. In the Fall I call them "Gold & Garnet"! Spiraea is the gold (although it has dried to a rusty-copper in the above photo) and Dwarf Bilberry is the garnet! They glowed under the soft light of the overcast sky! Such beauty!!!
Thimbleberry - Rubus parviflorus
Thimbleberry is another California native, and grows throughout the state (except the deserts) from sea-level to 9,000' in elevation. Each flower produces one berry that is edible, and much like a smaller, drier raspberry. I love the combination of the gray rocks and the lemon-yellow Thimbleberry leaves. Such exquisite colors!
Corn Lily - Veratrum californicum
Although not striking in color, we discovered something beautiful about dry Corn Lily stalks this week! We were thrashing through some bushes in the Lakes Basin when I accidentally whacked a Corn Lily stalk and was SHOWERED in hundreds of Corn Lily seeds! This had never happened before and was quite a surprise! Of course we had to shake several more stalks, and got the same astounding shower of seeds! It made us laugh, it was so surprisingly beautiful and FUN!!! You never know what you'll discover next if you just get out there!
Golden-crowned Sparrow - Cassin's Finch
Zonotrichia atricaplla - Haemorhous cassinii
Lakes Basin Bird Report
I saw several Golden-crowned Sparrows and Cassin's Finches in the Lakes Basin this week. They will probably be passing through to our neighborhood soon, on the way to their winter residences. The Golden-crowned Sparrows will travel to the coast and central valley of California, or even as far south as northern Baja for the winter. Some Cassin's Finches descend to lower elevations in California for the winter. Others may travel to the east side of the Sierra, or the interior west of the U.S. for the winter. Still others migrate as far south as Baja California or Central Mexico.
Mallard - Song Sparrow
Anas platyrhynchos - Melospiza melodia
There are still a few waterfowl in the Lakes Basin! The Mallards will migrate to California's Central Valley for the winter.
Song Sparrows aren't waterfowl but the one we saw was acting like a shorebird on the edge of a small pond! It pecked repeatedly on the surface of the pond, probably retrieving insects and seeds in the process! It will migrate down to warmer areas in California for the winter. We have some that live in our neighborhood year-round. Perhaps the one pictured above will join them when the weather gets colder!
Common Merganser - Western Grebe
Mergus Merganser - Aechmorphorus occidentalis
I saw several Common Mergansers in Sardine Lake this week! They will migrate to lower lakes and rivers for the winter, even to my neighborhood if the winter is mild!
I saw several Common Mergansers in Sardine Lake this week! They will migrate to lower lakes and rivers for the winter, even to my neighborhood if the winter is mild!
Although known to nest in an area north of the Lakes Basin (Lake Almanor), I rarely see Western Grebes in the Lakes Basin. I was delighted to see this one swimming around in Silver Lake this week! It will head to lower lakes and bays for the winter. It is commonly found throughout the western states.
We Need Rain!
Once again I am sending out a "Call for Art" in celebration of rain. My intention is to focus on the need for rain, and through collective positive energy invoke rain to fall. It is just a wish, a thought, and a hope. If you would like to submit some art, or writing, or a photo please check out my blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com. I will be posting new art weekly.
You can view what was submitted last year at dampearth.blogspot.com.
Check it out and pray for rain!
Round Lake - 10/16/20
Will the Lakes Basin stay smoke-free this coming week?
Are the bears still around?
What are they eating?
Are the Sandhill Cranes migrating through yet?
Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!
Unfortunately you can no longer sign up to get my blog emailed to you.
Something changed at Blogspot.com. Oh well... However, my blog looks better if you just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com, rather than get the emailed version. I suggest that you just bookmark my blog and visit it every Sunday afternoon!
Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated!
Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com
Saturday, October 10, 2020
Hiking in the Rain!
Buster and Mike hiking in the Rain - 2015
"A rainy day is the perfect time
for a walk in the woods."
Rachelle Carson
I'm taking a break from blogging this week to go hiking in the rain! The forecast today is for a 20% chance of showers, so we're heading up to the Lakes Basin to enjoy the rain (I hope!) In the meantime check out my rain blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com and join in the collective wish for rain! See ya next week and pray for rain!
for a walk in the woods."
Rachelle Carson
I'm taking a break from blogging this week to go hiking in the rain! The forecast today is for a 20% chance of showers, so we're heading up to the Lakes Basin to enjoy the rain (I hope!) In the meantime check out my rain blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com and join in the collective wish for rain! See ya next week and pray for rain!
Are the bears still around?
What are they eating?
Are the Sandhill Cranes migrating through yet?
Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!
Unfortunately you can no longer sign up to get my blog emailed to you.
Something changed at Blogspot.com. Oh well... However, my blog looks better if you just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com, rather than get the emailed version. I suggest that you just bookmark my blog and visit it every Sunday afternoon!
Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated!
Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com
Saturday, October 3, 2020
Going to Seed!
Lesser Goldfinch (female or juvenile) - Carduelis psaltria
At this time of year many birds are switching from a diet of insects to a diet of seeds and fruit. The colder weather has made the insects mostly inactive and hard to find, whereas many plants have recently gone to seed or produced fruit.
A few years back I figured out approximately how many seeds a Lesser Goldfinch might eat in a day. My research was based on the information that birds eat 1/2 to 1/4 of their weight daily, and that a Lesser Goldfinch weighs about .33 oz. I pried the sunflower seeds from the dried flower heads (It's not as easy as you would think!) and found out that 37.5 seeds add up to .01 oz. in weight. However, the seeds I weighed were still in their hulls. The actual weight of JUST the seeds is probably at least half that weight. So I assumed that it would take 75 seeds to add up to .01 oz of weight. So, if a Lesser Goldfinch ate 1/4 of its weight (.0825 oz) in a day, it would need to eat approximately 619 seeds. If a Lesser Goldfinch ate 1/2 of its weight (.165 oz) in a day it would need to eat approximately 1,238 seeds!!! WOW! That is a lot of seed hulling! It also explains why they appear to eat continuously during the daylight hours! This is just an estimate, but it was fun to figure out!
Golden-crowned Sparrow (adult - first year) - Zonotrichia atricapilla
Down in the garden there are more seed-eating birds than ever before! I think they might be refugees from burned areas! We have LOTS of volunteer sunflowers that attract birds in the Fall. I've also decided to start feeding the birds, to help the process of fattening up a little easier for them. There are pros and cons to feeding birds. Basically if you keep your feeding area clean, and provide good, nutritional seed, it is generally accepted that bird feeding is okay at this time of year. If you don't keep your bird feeders/feeding area clean, disease can be spread among those birds visiting your feeding station. I wrote extensively on this subject on my December 15, 2019 blog. Check it out. It may help you decide to feed or not to feed.
Golden-Crowned Sparrows migrate through our neighborhood every Fall. They breed up in western Canada and Alaska, and winter in the coast and central valley of California, or even as far south as northern Baja. They are avid seed-eaters, mainly feeding on the ground.
White-crowned Sparrow (adult - first year) - Zonotrichia leucophrys
White-crowned Sparrows and Golden-crowned Sparrows are often seen feeding together. White-crowns pass through here in the Fall, on the way to their wintering grounds across the southern U.S, and as far south as central Mexico and Baja. They are primarily seed eaters at this time of year. It's been fun to see so many of them down in our garden lately!
Steller's Jay - Mountain Quail
Cyanocitta stelleri - Oreortyx pictus
The Steller's Jays live in our neighborhood all year long. Right now they are busy eating seeds out of the sunflower seed heads! They can be quite acrobatic in their efforts!
Urban Anthrophora (?) - Hover Fly (?) & Ceratina (?)
Anthophora urbana (?) - genus (?) - Ceratina cockerelli (?)
Pollinators!
There are still lots of pollinators in our garden! Several different kinds of bees, wasps, beetles, flies, and butterflies are common. As you can tell I am sorely lacking in my knowledge of insects! I've posted photos of these pollinators on bugguide.net, and they will identify them for me in a few days! I'll let you know what they decide, next week.
Mystery Bee
genus/species unknown
There was only one of these hairy, blonde bees flying around our garden. I've never seen one of these before! Bugguide.net will provide an answer!
Great Spangled Fritillary (male - female)
Speyeria cybele
Many butterflies are still feeding on the flowers in our garden! So lovely to watch!
Butterfly Facts
"Butterflies have "complete" life cycles, with four different stages: egg, caterpillar (larva), chrysalis (pupa), and adult. The entire life cycle, from the deposition of the egg to the emergence of the adult, usually takes about a month for most butterflies. Each species of butterfly has a different adult life span. Some adult butterflies only live for a few days, while others live for a few weeks or even several months (if they experience dormant periods of diapause or hibernation). The average lifespan for most adults is one to two weeks.
Butterflies have compound eyes and simple eyes. They see very differently from us; they can see ultraviolet rays (which are invisible to us).
A butterfly's antennae, palps, legs and many other parts of the body are studded with sense receptors that are used to smell. The sense of smell is used for finding food (usually flower nectar), and for finding mates (the female smelling the male's pheromones).
A butterfly's feet have sense organs that can taste the sugar in nectar, letting the butterfly know if something is good to eat or not. Some females also taste host plants (using organs on their legs) in order to find appropriate places to lay their eggs. These receptors (called chemoreceptors) are nerve cells on the body's surface which react to certain chemicals. We have similar receptors in our nose and on our tongue."
Crescent (?) - Woodland Skipper - Orange Sulphur
Phycoides sp. (?) - Ochloides sylvanoides - Colias eurytheme
Hairy Matilija Poppy - Romneya trichocalyx
Plants have a variety of strategies for surviving winter!
As the daylight hours shorten and temperatures drop, most plants become dormant. During dormancy, a plants' metabolism, photosynthesis, and respiration rate slow down, and growth stops. Some plants even produce a type of anti-freeze in their cells, to prevent damage from frost and freezing temperatures!
Some plants will create the buds for next year's bloom in the late summer and fall.
These buds will remain dormant throughout the winter, but are ready to burst open once enough cold days have occurred and the temperature and daylight hours have increased.
Another way to ensure species survival over winter, is through seeds. Since they cannot walk, seeds depend on wind, water, animals, and explosion to be dispersed. Aquatic plants depend on water movement to disperse their seeds. Animals can eat seeds, or fruits with seeds, and disperse them in their poop! Seeds can also hook onto an animal's fur or feathers and be transported. The dispersal by explosion happens when some dry seed pods burst open and propel their seeds!
Gray's Lovage - Cow Parsnip
Ligusticum grayi - Heracleum maximum
Anderson's Thistle - Milkweed sp.
Cirsium andersonii - Asclepias sp.
Ranger Buttons - Spenociadium capitellatum
More Damp Earth Art!
Please visit my new blog dampearthart.blogspot.com. I will be posting new art weekly. Once again I am sending out a "Call for Art" in celebration of rain. My intention is to focus on the need for rain, and through collective positive energy invoke rain to fall. It is just a wish, a thought, and a hope. If you would like to submit some art, or writing, or a photo please check out my blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com
You can view what was submitted last year at dampearth.blogspot.com.
Check it out and pray for rain!
Are the bears still around?
What are they eating?
Are the Sandhill Cranes migrating through yet?
Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!
Unfortunately you can no longer sign up to get my blog emailed to you.
Something changed at Blogspot.com. Oh well... However, my blog looks better if you just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com, rather than get the emailed version. I suggest that you just bookmark my blog and visit it every Sunday afternoon!
Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated!
Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com
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