Saturday, June 13, 2009

cricket
Gryllidae

I suspect this had just molted due to its light coloring and hiding on the bathroom wall. I'm guessing it's an immature cricket without fully developed wings.
cyanide millipede
Harpaphe haydeniana

This guy was pretty big.

ps 05/14/10 - Thanks to Dave Ingram's Natural History Blog, linked in the common name above, I was able to identify and learn a bit about this distinctive millipede. I'm glad I didn't try to pick it up.
longhorn beetle
Cerambycidae

It's amazing what one can find in the bathroom out in the woods!

CA forest scorpion ~ 06/13/09 ~ Humbolt Redwoods

California forest scorpion
Uroctonus mordax

This may be the first time I have ever seen a scorpion in CA out in the wild, or in this case lodged on the outside of a bathroom wall. Based on the light body coloring, I'm guessing it just molted and was in the process of hardening when I found it in the morning.

ps 03/30/12 - While looking up something else, I happened upon a scorpion name. The northern CA to WA area where this sp. is found with the dark claws, pincers, cephalothorax, and tail, plus the light colored legs makes me believe this is the correct ID for this scorpion. My previous assumption that it had just molted is incorrect. It's just a shiny, fatty female. I've made changes and added links to the ID names below the photo.
harvestman/daddy-longlegs
Arachnida > Opiliones > Palpatores

This is NOT a spider! Spiders have 2 body segments and true daddy-longlegs only have 1 body segment. Touch it and it vibrates on its long legs.
Geometridae

Who says butterflies are more beautiful than moths? I don't have a good ID book for western moths, so I'm hesitant to make a guess as to species.

ps 03/07/10 - It's always nice to hear someone else also has trouble identifying something, especially an expert. Art Shapiro who helped me with a couple blue butterfly IDs says this, "I won't hazard an ID of your green Geo either, not knowing the fauna in your region."