habitat ~ 02/10/14 ~ Stevens Creek

Stevens Creek

February 10, 2014

A casual comment on a blog post on Saturday afternoon quickly morphed into a gathering of blogging friends, meeting for the first time face-to-face, on Monday morning.  It was a whirlwind of invitations, e-mails, and phone calls.  Many people had to decline (What, people have to work?), but Ken @ Nature of a Man and Randy @ Way Points joined Cindy @ Dipper Ranch and me for 7 hours of hiking, chatting, enjoying nature, picture-taking, and snacking.  The weather cooperated beautifully with the ending of several days of heavy rain, just in time for our excursion.

One of the themes that stayed with me is the ramifications of nature blogging.  How much should we share online about rare or unusual sightings when there are nefarious people who would steal, poach, or profit from our wonder and innocent enthusiasm?  In the next couple of weeks a scientific paper is getting distributed, one that's been 4 years in the making.  Plus, Cindy has asked for first blogging dibs, and she definitely deserves that right.  Until then, my new favorite ID will have to wait, but hopefully I'll have enough other stuff to dazzle regular followers.  And, maybe you'll be able to join us next time?

So, Stevens Creek is a new site for Nature ID.  While it's technically in Santa Clara County, like Mt. Madonna County Park, it felt more like Memorial Park and Butano State Park in neighboring San Mateo County, exchanging the redwoods there for Douglas-firs here.  I love the Santa Cruz Mountains, but as I drove home via Pescadero to avoid the evil commuter Hwy 17 traffic, I breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the afternoon sun on the ocean.  I can no longer imagine living anywhere where I can't see open water everyday.  In the mean time, I need to figure out the best times to avoid heavy traffic up that way...

CA newt ~ 02/10/14 ~ Stevens Creek

California newt

Taricha torosa
Salamandridae

 possible rough-skinned newt intergrade? 

 possible Taricha granulosa intergrade?

Squee!  I thought I had died and gone to newt heaven.  With 4 days of decent rain, we had high hopes in finding newts.  And, we did.  A couple hundred of them.  Yes, hundreds.  I stopped keeping track of count after a few hours.  We must have hit the timing jackpot, because I don't believe sightings like this are typical.  Or maybe they are?  This year's winter has been so wacky with the lack of rain, that the newts may not have been very active before now.  Many looked like skin and bones, with tiny little hips sticking out, and yet just as many others were quite plump and very healthy looking. Lots of thanks to Cindy @ Dipper Ranch for getting us bloggers together for this excursion.

If left to my own amateur ID skills, I would have said the above two newts were both CA newts.  Many online pictures show rough-skinned newts as being much darker, practically a charcoal color, with the area under the eye also quite dark.  Ken @ Nature of a Man suggested the ones we found may be intergrades.  Hybrids?  With so many newts around to compare, there was quite a bit of subtle variation in how much the eyes bulged and combinations of coloring (mustard yellow to cheddar orange to chocolate brown).  As I picked up several, I noticed an immediate tactile textural difference.  Those that felt rougher indeed had slightly darker coloring under the eyes; perhaps that's how they got their name.  I honestly don't know if the way they feel in the hand could be considered diagnostic, because I haven't handled that many newts before.  Plus, we found newts in many different stages, from itty-bitty 2 1/2" (head to tail tip) juveniles to hefty males with, eh-hem, bulges.  Check out Gary Nafis' California Herps for the best side-by-side Taricha spp. comparison.

 How many newts?

Answer: 3.  Only after one or two had been pointed out to me did I begin to recognize their movement in the douglas-fir leaf litter.  Pretty much they plod along on their little legs, but they will freeze momentarily when approached.  I can see why some parks will close roads for newt crossings.  They're perfectly colored to blend in with their surroundings and are not easy to spot.  I'm guessing I've passed many newts during my hikes and simply have rarely noticed them before.  Sadly, they're collected for the pet trade as "Oregon newts". Along with the convergent lady beetles, this was yet another reason for our discussion about the implications of sharing nature finds online.  Hey, I'm not giving out trail names or GPS points, so collectors can hike around just like everyone else to maybe find them.  They'd better be in good shape.

A 5th leg!

Given the number of newts we found this day, the chances of finding a mutant were good,  obviously considering we found one.  I don't understand how mutations work in newts.  Does it originate in the egg?  Or does it happen sometime when transforming from aquatic larva to terrestrial adult?  How much does the quality of the environment affect newts?  Or even an accident later in life?  Apparently, they're able to regenerate lost limbs.  These are definitely animals I want to learn more about.  Does anyone have a recommendation for a good, scientific, but not too dry, newt book?

CA turret spider ~ 02/10/14 ~ Stevens Creek

California turret spider

Antrodiaetus riversi (formerly Atypoides riversi)

posted 03/15/14 - It seems to me a great many locals to the Santa Cruz Mountains know about these turret spiders and in great detail as this BayNature article by David Lukas explains.  The part I found most interesting is this quote, "Analysis of hundreds of genetic samples reveals that instead of a single species, there are at least eight species of California turret spiders, and even these eight species can be further divided into distinct subpopulations separated by obstacles in their environment."  They apparently don't move around much.  I was unfamiliar until Ken pointed out this little structure to Randy and me.  Note the cool use of douglas-fir needles?  I'm always amazed at the "houses" animals will build for themselves.  Now I have The Three Little Pigs on the brain.  Stickless stone woodrat midden, anyone?

mycenoid mushroom ~ 02/10/14 ~ Stevens Creek

mycenoid mushroom

Mycena sp. 

more information

Why, hello, tiny friend.  Long time, no see.  Welcome back.  Boy, it sure was nice to find mushrooms again, given our record-breaking dry winter.  This Mycena sp. was growing on a very large, decaying douglas-fir trunk.  I looked at numerous mycenoid pictures online with the off chance I could make a specific ID.  No such luck.  Most are nondescript brownish grey, but some mycenoids are gorgeous yellow, orange, reddish orange, and rose colored.  I doubt I'll ever become proficient with mushrooms, especially considering I have zero desire to look at spore prints and haul out my scope. Plus, I worry about poisonous ones, and not knowing which are which, I have a general hands-off policy.  Just as well, I end up leaving them just as I found them.

tree year project 2011, #10

red-shouldered hawk perched on coast Douglas-fir
Buteo lineatus on Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Pinaceae

It seems about once a year (07/20/10 and 10/04/09) I'm able to get a picture of a red-shouldered hawk on this Douglas-fir. This time it's for The Tree Year project. In the past 2 weeks, city workers have been tidying up the park below our balcony. The pride of Madeira has been trimmed within an inch of its life. I'll be curious to see how it blooms next year. At the very least it'll help the red-shouldered to spot a snack on the ground.

http://thetreeyear.wordpress.com/tree-year-posts/life-on-the-tree/birds/

tree year project 2011, #8

juvenile western scrub-jay perched on coast Douglas-fir
Aphelocoma californica perched on Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Pinaceae

posted 06/19/11 - Sometime around the second week of May, I first noticed my friendly scrub-jay's 3 youngsters. They were pretty awkward flying and mainly watched mom from the branches of this Douglas-fir I'm featuring in the the Tree Year Project. After getting a peanut, she would always fly back to their low nest in a nearby oak tree, I think to encourage the little ones to follow her for food. Then a late night ruckus happened, which sounded too much like a raccoon/scrub-jay fight, and I only saw the one pictured above for almost 2 weeks. Since then, two of the juveniles have been loudly following mom's every move. She chases them away from our balcony and will quickly sound an alarm call if a hawk is in the area. In the past few days they seem to get up before she does, and one quickly snatched a couple peanuts from me yesterday morning. Each one is a little different in voice and boldness of behavior, like stealing mom's stashed peanut from a pine cone. It's been a real joy to observe the mother scrub-jay teaching her young.

http://thetreeyear.wordpress.com/tree-year-posts/life-on-the-tree/birds/

silver-spotted tiger moth ~ 05/28/11 ~ at home

silver-spotted tiger moth caterpillar (or nameless arctiid moth) feeding on coast Douglas-fir
Lophocampa argentata (or L. sobrina) feeding on Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Pinaceae

posted 06/18/11 - I mainly want to show the color variation of these caterpillars that I'm attempting to raise - from bright white to tan side hairs. These three were munching away at young shoots of Douglas-fir. I collected a third caterpillar from the Highlands the day I took this picture on 05/28/11. Add in the two I found around home, I've had 5 total. They seem to prefer hanging out together; in fact, they'll follow each other along a plate's edge like a caterpillar conga line whenever I switch out food. Except for the Highlands Easter caterpillar, I don't know which individuals came from where.

One successfully pupated and has been tucked in its cocoon since 05/01/11, one died 05/21/11 from what appeared to be parasites, and another one died 06/10/11 from what looked to me like typical Btk poisoning - the body was deflated and limp, like a plant that hasn't been watered, with only the middle sets of prolegs keeping the body attached to the nylon top.

I moved the two remaining caterpillars to a clean container. They now occasionally feed on Monterey pine (Pinus radiata) even though I'm still providing a mix of clippings. They rest most of the time upside down from a new nylon top. Their poop has gotten inexplicably smaller. I'm starting to get concerned because they don't seem to be progressing in their development. I suspect they may need a snack of another plant in order to successfully pupate - this is totally wild speculation after reading about Queen butterflies needing to snack on non-host plants in order for their adult pheromones to be chemically complete. I'm starting to remember all too clearly why I once gave up rearing caterpillars. Click to read a past post about how and why I'm raising these caterpillars.

ps 06/25/11 - As I was changing out the tree clippings, one of the caterpillars had started making a cocoon with hairs from its body and silk. I hope I didn't disturb it too much.

silver-spotted tiger moth ~ 05/02/11 ~ at home

silver-spotted tiger moth caterpillar (or nameless arctiid moth) feeding on Monterey pine
Lophocampa argentata (or L. sobrina) feeding on Pinus radiata
Pinaceae

I laughed at how this caterpillar chomps the pine needle like it's eating a giant, long green bean. To see how beautiful this caterpillar is see my 03/15/11 post. As a recap, the pictures of the silver-spotted tiger moth caterpillars (Lophocampa argentata) on BugGuide were browner than what I found in the Carmel Highlands. Hmm? I consulted Chris Grinter of The Skeptical Moth who suggested, based on my location, this caterpillar is L. sobrina; he has since made a comment on BugGuide. Unfortunately, I have not found any other L. sobrina caterpillar images correctly identified on the internet to compare with mine. Actually, there is some question among the experts whether L. sobrina (sorry, there's no common name) is indeed a distinct species from the silver-spotted tiger moth. I also queried Jerry Powell and Paul Opler, co-authors of Moths of Western North America, a hefty book which was released last year. All three moth experts had differing opinions, but Paul had the best advice: raise the caterpillar to an adult to obtain a positive ID. Adult Lepidoptera are better documented and easier to identify. So, that's what I'm doing.

I collected my first caterpillar in the Carmel Highlands on 03/31/11. I found a second caterpillar on 04/20/11 at home and within feet of our local subspecies of the Douglas-fir, L. argentata's favored food. Then on Easter 04/24/11 in the Highlands, I gathered a much larger caterpillar on top of California hedge nettle (Stachys bullata). Finally, I found a fourth caterpillar climbing up the wall nearest the coast Douglas-fir at home. I'm guessing I collected it 04/30/11 while sitting outside to get fresh air, because I returned home from the hospital the previous night. As soon as I found it, I asked Andy to go cut more caterpillar food for me. Gotta love the man! After days of sitting by my hospital bed watching the Food Network (we don't get it at home) in between doctors and nurses visits, while tubes and wires connected to fancy machines beeped and hummed, he then obliged me by tromping through the park to get clippings from various trees. Well, you can guess where my priorities are... must feed my caterpillars first!

silver-spotted tiger moth caterpillar (or nameless arctiid moth) on coast Douglas-fir
Lophocampa argentata (or L. sobrina) on Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Pinaceae

I want to show off the cute lemon yellow prolegs of this caterpillar. I have to say, that while these caterpillars did eat some coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia var. agrifolia), they seem to prefer the Monterey pine and coast Douglas-fir. I even tried to feed them various other plants, but they were totally not interested. They also like to feed during the day and get very still at night. Do caterpillars sleep like us humans?

Lophocampa argentata (or L. sobrina) cocoon

This was the largest caterpillar collected from the Highlands on Easter and it started making a cocoon the day before this picture on 05/01/11. Notice the loose hairs mixed in with its silk to make the cocoon? Unfortunately, I disturbed it to move the remaining caterpillars into their roomier home with fresher food.

Lophocampa argentata (or L. sobrina) cocoon lit from behind

I had to see how far along this caterpillar was to pupating, so I held the cocoon up to the light. It wasn't very far along. I've since looked at it again against the light and it looks like it's shed its larval exoskeleton and has the distinctive pupal shape that looks like a turd. I'll try to get a picture of that later.

Lophocampa argentata (or L. sobrina) cast exoskeleton

This may look like a dead caterpillar, but it's not. This is what is left behind when a caterpillar molts in order to grow into a larger caterpillar. I try not to repeat better information that can be found on the web, so if you really want to know, go look it up yourself.

Apologies for this atypically lengthy Nature ID entry. All these pictures were taken on the same day as this post's date of 05/02/11. I've missed doing my blog while I've been sick. I'm now 13 days behind with my posts and I want to catch up. Watch out for multiple posts in any given day...

ps 05/27/11 - Another caterpillar molted this morning and it's very white compared to my other remaining caterpillar of this sp. I was nervous, because it didn't move much for a couple days - I had one die last weekend. I took a close look at the dead one and it looks like some parasite had attacked it. There were numerous tiny cream-colored spots on the underside of its body. I never did get around to pulling out my dissecting scope to take a magnified look.

pss 10/16/11 - Greg Monson, Founder and Head of Production at Lost Nomad Media, requested permission to use the first photo above. With his permission, here's what he said, "I found your post on caterpillars while I surfing the internet. I'm currently editing a research documentary for a professor at the University of Arizona, and your first picture of the caterpillar eating the needle is perfect for a segment in the film where I mention how pine needles are a form of sustenance for insects." He goes on to say, "I'm wondering if I could have your permission to use the photo in my video. The film is a 12-minute short documentary on a research experiment being conducted in Colorado, where they are looking into the role that terpene molecules from pine forests play in generating clouds. It will be published on youtube, and the University of Arizona website, and I will be happy to give you credit for your photo. This is the first of a series of videos my company is producing to promote outreach from the scientific community to the public." I'll add a link to the video when it becomes available.

pss 01/11/12 - Here's the link to the video: http://cals.arizona.edu/research/monson/terpenes.

Townsend's warbler ~ 12/10/10 ~ at home

Townsend's warbler on coast Douglas-fir
Dendroica townsendi on Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Pinaceae

Well, she's not as striking as her boyfriend, but he's off chasing a flashy goldfinch. For me, these bird pictures are not too shabby. I really enjoy watching the Townsend's search through the Douglas fir tree next to our balcony for food. Insects? I don't know. Sometimes they hover like a hummingbird and pick at the tree, which I've learned is called hover-gleaning. I'm amazed at how many birds and insects use this coast Douglas-fir tree. It helps that our balcony is 3 stories up, so I'm able to get an eye-level view of the top of the tree to witness all the action.

I'd like to add that the Townsend's warbler is not mentioned at all in a recently-purchased CA bird guide book, which shall remain nameless until I get a better handle on whether it's a decent bird book or not. I bought it because it was the same style that my mother-in-law uses up in WA. At $20-30 a pop, I've been disappointed with my field guide purchases lately.

CA towhee ~ 12/02/10 ~ at home

California towhee perched on coast Douglas-fir
Pipilo crissalis perched on Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Pinaceae

Have I mentioned my bird photos are generally lousy? My fuzzy pictures of this Pipilo from July were way better than what I was able to capture today. I don't think I have the patience (or camera) to get really great photos of birds. These two visited our balcony and stayed for the longest time, until I had Andy hand me the camera through the window and I started the camera with the "bling" sound. All the commotion scared them away to the nearby tree. Argh! While I had the camera out, I tried to capture a Townsend's warbler, but it was too quick in the branches. Heavy sigh. My goal for the next year is to capture better bird photos.

ps 12/06/10 - And yes, it is this green around here and fairly warm. A light sweater is all I need to be comfortable enough outdoors in December. While I love the pics many nature bloggers post of snow, I'm glad to not have to endure that kind of cold weather.

red-shouldered hawk ~ 07/20/10 ~ at home

red-shouldered hawk perched on coast Douglas fir
Buteo lineatus on Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Pinaceae

I'm glad to have this fir tree right next to our balcony. It's nature in action within 5 feet! The squirrels eat the unusual looking seed cones like corn on the cob. Plus, we get lots of birds searching for insects or perching on this tree.

We have other raptors around, I just haven't been able to capture them on camera. More often than not, I first hear ruckus from the crows (I like to call them the sheriffs of the bird world) before seeing them bombarding a perched hawk. Click on the scientific name above to hear the call of the red-shouldered hawk.

wordless Wednesday #2

dark-eyed junco ~ 04/07/10 ~ at home

dark-eyed junco perched on coast Douglas fir
Junco hyemalis perched on Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesiiPinaceae

I've been trying to capture one of these on camera since last fall. I believe this is the Oregon form. They love the pine next to our balcony (I'll ID this tree later) and appear to feed on it. They make a mess of my planters by tossing soil everywhere.

Townsend's warbler ~ 02/19/10 ~ at home

Townsend's warbler on coast Douglas fir
Dendroica townsendi on Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Pinaceae

Yeah!!! I've been wanting to capture "my yellow-headed Zorro" on camera for a couple months, but he flits so quickly between the pine tree branches that I've had no luck until now. Considering I was up in WA for most of November and into half of December, I'm guessing I've seen him here since at least the last part of October 2009. He usually shows up every morning in the pine tree right by our balcony, but in the past two weeks I hadn't seen him at all and was starting to get disappointed that I may have missed my chance to document him.

I'm not much of a bird person and have found it extremely challenging to search online for bird IDs when I can't even name the general type of bird. In the process of my search, I found this incredible bird ID site and this Monterey County natural history site. Initially, I thought my fellow was a blackburnian warbler, but after considering its range map, I continued searching, even though this 2002 bird highlights claims blackburnians are sometimes found here - although, IMHO, I think the highlight ID was a mistake... what do you think?

Now, if only I can capture the dark-eyed junco that also regularly visits and tosses soil everywhere from my balcony planters.

ps 10/17/10 - I saw my first Townsend's this morning in many months. It must be that time of year (mid to late October). I like being able to track last year's observations. Plus, I still think the blackburnian 2002 bird highlight I mentioned earlier was a mistake. Look at the double row of shoulder stripes - it's got to be a Townsend's warbler.

pss 10/27/10 - I first thought my fella found himself a mate. It was cute. He was chasing another small bird with a pale yellow breast and light-colored wing stripes, but no dark cheek patch, through the trees. Once I looked it up, it must have been a goldfinch of some sort.

pss 10/04/14 - Spotted the first Townsend's of the season this morning. Last year I saw them as early as 09/15/13.

pss 10/07/16 - For the record, spotted my first Townsend's for the season.

red-shouldered hawk ~ 10/04/09 ~ at home

red-shouldered hawk perched on coast Douglas fir
Buteo lineatus perched on Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Pinaceae

Fatty-fatty 2x4 couldn't fit through... oops, sorry, but this one is... er... um... plump! As much as I refer to most living things as male (pets: Sam, Fred, Jack, and Max - all female cats, btw; plants: George; and wild animals) this one is so much a female to me. "She" is Henrietta! I've seen her a couple of times on the tree right below our balcony since Sunday and I hope she continues to perch here.

mourning dove ~ 07/02/09 ~ at home

mourning dove on coast Douglas fir
Zenaida macroura on Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Pinaceae

Funny, but I always thought of these as "morning" doves since I hear them calling in the mornings. While we see them regularly on telephone wires around town, this was the first time I saw one from our balcony perched in the tree.