Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, CA
November 24, 2007
Friday, May 7, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
habitat ~ 05/06/10 ~ Pinnacles National Monument - west
Pinnacles National Monument - west entranceMay 6, 2010
The picture above was taken on the Juniper Canyon Trail before the sunny switchbacks leading to the High Peaks. It's my favorite trail to see butterflies with a tiny creek trickling alongside. There are some open spots which feel like a "butterfly highway". This would make a great butterfly monitoring transect, like what Art Shapiro does.
During last year's visit on May 8, 2009, the most noticeable butterfly was the variable checkerspot; there were too many to even begin to count. This year I was amazed by how many Sara orangetips (Anthocharis sara) I saw. Unfortunately, I could never catch one resting long enough to take a decent picture. I also spotted at least a dozen CA forester moths, which given my difficulty in identifying the single individual I saw last year was a small thrill for me. It's too bad the day-flying moths are not included in the butterfly checklist at Pinnacles. Moths often get ignored and are only mentioned if they're "pests."
Pinnacles holds an annual butterfly count, which is probably lots of fun if you're into group nature activities.
During last year's visit on May 8, 2009, the most noticeable butterfly was the variable checkerspot; there were too many to even begin to count. This year I was amazed by how many Sara orangetips (Anthocharis sara) I saw. Unfortunately, I could never catch one resting long enough to take a decent picture. I also spotted at least a dozen CA forester moths, which given my difficulty in identifying the single individual I saw last year was a small thrill for me. It's too bad the day-flying moths are not included in the butterfly checklist at Pinnacles. Moths often get ignored and are only mentioned if they're "pests."
Pinnacles holds an annual butterfly count, which is probably lots of fun if you're into group nature activities.
I took the picture above thinking, oooh, that looks like a smaller version of Yosemite's Half-Dome. It's amazing how inadvertently consistent I am. We happened to hike Pinnacles within two days of last year, yet we don't actually go there very often. I took a picture from the exact spot as above, which is quite a feat considering the trail. The pictures are so similar that I opened up both files and checked the dates. It then became a game of can you spot the difference? The branch hanging in view on the upper right looks like it's grown about a foot, but that's it.
Here's the only place that I could tell any difference from last year at this time. This year the poppies are still going gangbusters and the grass hasn't dried out, yet. Plus there was hardly any Brewer's ragwort anywhere along the trail.Pinnacles is absolutely incredible! For much better blog posts of Pinnacles spanning the past 2 months, check out Bread on Water and Town Mouse and Country Mouse.
One last pic! This was taken looking back toward Pinnacles at the 9 mile marker. One would never suspect such an incredible place existed behind those dry, yellow hills. It does get very hot there in the summer. Pinnacles National Monument is actually a bit difficult to find. To get to the west entrance, you have to first go through Soledad and carefully follow the tiny directional signs. On our way out, we like to stop at La Fuente for the best Mexican food around and chat with the lovely, friendly proprietor.venus thistle ~ 05/06/10 ~ Pinnacles
Asteraceae
This is my favorite thistle for it's scarlet color and tall stalk that makes it stand out against the dry, west facing slopes at Pinnacles.
armored darkling beetleEleodes armatus
Tenebrionidae
Let's everyone stand on their heads! Okay, I give in, there's a link to BugGuide.net above. It's surprisingly difficult to find online information of CA beetles. I added a link to the CA Beetle Project under recommended ID links. So, is it E. armatus or E. armata? I'm not absolutely positive this is an E. armatus, because its elytra were incredibly smooth without dimples. I need to start carrying around a little ruler to measure these suckers.
I was so proud of my photo and the different camera angle... until I found several hundred online just like it. Growing up in the Central Valley, I often poked and prodded a larger and less tapered-butt Eleodes. They're fun beetles. Touch them and they do a headstand for you. I am apparently fortunate enough to have never experienced the noxious spray of the stink beetle. Haha, I've actually poked many stink beetles hoping to witness this reported spray, but I've never seen it.
ps - I've been putting off posting additional pics of beetles until I got the Field Guide to Beetles of California. In all honesty, it's not what I had hoped it'd be for a field guide; it reads more like a textbook summary for people who're already familiar with the beetles in question. Yet, it's the best CA beetle book I've found, so I'm keeping it. Maybe with time I'll become more comfortable using it and will appreciate all the information. With so many beetles everywhere, I can see why there are so few ID books.
I was so proud of my photo and the different camera angle... until I found several hundred online just like it. Growing up in the Central Valley, I often poked and prodded a larger and less tapered-butt Eleodes. They're fun beetles. Touch them and they do a headstand for you. I am apparently fortunate enough to have never experienced the noxious spray of the stink beetle. Haha, I've actually poked many stink beetles hoping to witness this reported spray, but I've never seen it.
ps - I've been putting off posting additional pics of beetles until I got the Field Guide to Beetles of California. In all honesty, it's not what I had hoped it'd be for a field guide; it reads more like a textbook summary for people who're already familiar with the beetles in question. Yet, it's the best CA beetle book I've found, so I'm keeping it. Maybe with time I'll become more comfortable using it and will appreciate all the information. With so many beetles everywhere, I can see why there are so few ID books.