rjadams55's Favorites
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus PagurusObserver
rjadams55Description
This individual was separated from the similar Bluebanded Hermit Crab (P. samuelis) by its greenish and yellow antennae. The Bluebanded Hermit Crab has red antennae.
The Hairy Hermit Crab is also more inclined to use Olive shells while the Bluebanded is more often found in turban shells. This one is using a Purple Olive (Callianax biplicata) shell.
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Bushy Lichens, Sea-fog Lichens, and Allies (Family Ramalinaceae)Observer
truthseqrDescription
(New Almaden Trail)
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Genus MomphaObserver
sea-kangarooDescription
ID from frass present, per discussion here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/114576540
Very bright red galls made of distorted leaves clumped together. At the apexes of branches, as though they were a bud or a fruit. Host California Fuschia.
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Genus CalilenaObserver
kschneiDescription
Beat from downed branch and collected under permit PINN-2023-SCI-0005.
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Schizocosa mccookiObserver
dominicDescription
Cool looking spider. Found under an oak log.
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Phlegra hentziObserver
dominicDescription
Found under a log. This is such a cool looking species of jumping spider.
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Primitive Cave Spiders (Superfamily Leptonetoidea)Observer
dominicDescription
Found under a rock at the beginning of the trailhead.
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Calanoid Copepods (Order Calanoida)Observer
damontigheDescription
Water samples examined under park research permit
imaged with ZOE imager
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Orbweavers (Family Araneidae)Observer
dominicDescription
Not too sure on the species or genus.
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Anachemmis linsdaleiObserver
dominicDescription
Was on the wall outside of the bathrooms. Had some nice fluorescence.
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Genus CalisogaObserver
dominicDescription
I wandered a bit off to see if anything else had come out and sure enough this was out! My first time ever seeing one just out and about.
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Genus SergiolusObserver
dominicDescription
Crawled up a bush as @naturesarchive and I were checking out a snakefly.
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California Roaches (Genus Hesperoleucus)Observer
rjadams55Description
At least 40 of these fish were in a large, shallow, stream fed pool along with around an equal number of Sacramento Suckers (Catostomus occidentalis).
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California Roaches (Genus Hesperoleucus)Observer
rjadams55Description
Several hundred California Roaches were found in a remnant pond within the dry San Benito River channel.
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Seep Monkeyflowers (Section Simiolus)Observer
rjadams55Description
This lovely little monkeyflower was growing in a damp patch along the lower stretch of the Juniper Canyon Trail.
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Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)Observer
euproserpinusDescription
The second photo is brightened to show the red or red/black malar stripe better. This bird was farther south when we first heard it. Then it called and flew upstream. We later found it near the junction of the Bench Trail with the dirt road.
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Wolf Lichen (Letharia vulpina)Observer
alice_abelaDescription
Del Norte County, California
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Greenleaf Manzanita (Arctostaphylos patula)Observer
rjadams55Description
Several individual manzanita bushes were growing in a trailside clearing. This one was identified based on its location, lack of a burl, broad, round-based leaves that lack obvious hairs, and leaf-like bracts on the panicles.
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Fool's Funnel (Clitocybe rivulosa)Observer
rjadams55Description
These unusual looking mushrooms were found in a patch of disturbed lawn surrounded by Douglas Firs and pines. Their stipes were oddly misshapen, appearing both swollen and deflated. They also left a white spore print.
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Paperbag Bush (Scutellaria mexicana)Observer
rjadams55Description
Differentiated from similar species by its spines, hairy calyx, flower color, and form.
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Dodders (Genus Cuscuta)Observer
rjadams55Description
A single patch of this parasitic plant was found growing on a Beach Sagewort (Artemisia pycnocephala ). This was identified by the plant's habitat and the structure of the flowers, specifically their bell -like shape and the round tips to the anthers.
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Common Sagebrush Lizard (Sceloporus graciosus)Observer
rjadams55Description
These were by far the most common lizards seen over four days on the Lost Coast Trail.
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Aspen Onion (Allium bisceptrum)Observer
rjadams55Description
Keeled petals and mostly withered leaves while in flower separated this species from A. bisceptrum.
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Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)Observer
rjadams55Description
Several of the islands at the refuge held large numbers of roosting California Gulls along with a smattering of Caspian Terns.
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Whiptail Lizards (Genus Aspidoscelis)Observer
rjadams55Description
This is one of the fascinating all-female species of whiptail. In these species the adults lay eggs that have not been externally fertilized but instead are clones of the mother..
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California Black Oak (Quercus kelloggii)Observer
rjadams55Description
Valley oaks are by far, the largest and most numerous of the trees at Fremont Peak State Park.
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Spiders (Order Araneae)Observer
joerichDescription
There were several dozen of these spider nests in the dry grass spread over an area of probably 10 meter squared.
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Pacific Brown-banded Sea-Spider (Ammothea hilgendorfi)Observer
sea-kangarooDescription
Bay shore.
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Zoropsid Spiders (Family Zoropsidae)Observer
lehacarpenterDescription
Spider body from cephalothorax through abdomen about 2cm long, and abdomen about 9-10mm wide.
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Dolloff Cave Spider (Meta dolloff)Observer
ds_exploringsDescription
Empire cave.
Size of a false widow.
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Western Spotted Orbweaver (Neoscona oaxacensis)Observer
aparrot1Description
An Orbweaver spider with brightly colored swirling markings on its abdomen. It constructed a vertical web inside a red bucket in a grassy meadow near cattle trough. It looks like it caught a winged insect. Very well camouflaged on it's "trashline-of-debris" web.
Update 4/5/22:
"M. spinipes is one of the very few semi-colonial spiders in the US. Each individual builds its own orb web with a retreat made of leaves and silk suspended inside a surrounding tangle web. A line connects the retreat to the center of the orb while the tangle webs of the different spiders are interconnected."
Metepeira spinipes is a member of Typical Orbweavers, Subfamily Araneinae
Great local observation of this species: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/3976674. Thanks @rjadams55!
https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Metepeira+spinipes
Update 4/6/22 07:53
Western Spotted Orbweaver (Neoscona oaxacensis) a.k.a Zig-zag Spider, or Araña Manchada de Jardín is a species of spider in the family Araneidae. It is distributed in the Americas, from Kansas and California south to Venezuela and Peru, including the Galápagos Islands.
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Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)Observer
andreacalaDescription
With a male.
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Indian Fig Opuntia (Opuntia ficus-indica)Observer
rjadams55Description
The Mission Cactus in not native to the region, but was brought to Monterey County by Spanish missionaries and settlers. Both the fruit and pads (nopales) are edible. As part of the former Soberanes Ranch, these cactus are widespread in the canyon's dryer south-facing slope.
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Rosette Lichens, Frost Lichens, and Allies (Family Physciaceae)Observer
gyrrlfalconDescription
On rock
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Neohermes filicornisObserver
rjadams55Description
This extremely large male fishfly was identified to species based on the structure of its reproductive organs, clearly visible in photo 2.
Information used to identify this individual was found in Liu and Winterton's (2016) review of the North American species.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0148319
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Bush Monkeyflowers (Section Diplacus)Observer
rjadams55Description
The leaves of this shrub were narrow and very sticky.
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Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)Observer
andreacalaDescription
Common, with a Red-breasted? Two Red-breasted? Thanks for helping me sort this out.
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Pointed Macoma (Macoma inquinata)Observer
rjadams55Description
Based on the shape of the shell, I believe this is M. nasuata rather than M. secta, but I am certainlly open to correction. Numerous empty clamshells were found on a small patch of rocky mudflat inside Moss Landing Harbor. @invertzoo What do you think?
Big Thanks to @gbentall for her ID help!
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Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)Observer
andreacalaDescription
Yawning, as the storm was slowly approaching...
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North American Deer Mice (Genus Peromyscus)Observer
rjadams55Description
This immature mouse was either eating the meat or just pulling the fur off of a dead California Vole (Microtus californicus). It was particularly small with a short indistinctly bicolored tail. Based on its coloration and location, I believe this may be a California Deermouse (P. californicus), a species I have seen in the area before, but any insights or suggestions regarding its ID would be greatly appreciated.
@finatic , @euproserpinus Is this a species either of you are fairly familiar with? Thanks!
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Desert Blonde Tarantula (Aphonopelma chalcodes)Observer
rjadams55Description
This adult male tarantula was found along the side of I-180 just inside New Mexico and within the Gila Natl. Forest.
Species-level identification based on appearance, location and information contained in the tarantula revision by Hamilton et al. (2016).
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Red-and-white Asagena (Asagena fulva)Observer
deanna54Description
Thin hook in palp
