oil beetle ~ 03/28/09 ~ Fort Ord

oil beetle
Meloe sp.
Meloidae

This is the largest beetle I have ever seen alive outside of a museum or zoo! I assumed it's a staphylinid due to its short elytra, but Jerry Powell claims devil's coach horses are the largest rove beetle in CA at 32 mm... and this bugger was easily 50 mm. I'm starting to wonder if it might not be a Carabidae; there are several varieties of ground beetles at Fort Ord.

ps 04/21/10 - I originally posted this as an unknown "NOT devil's coach horse beetle." With inordinate gratitude to knowledgeable nature bloggers (Backyard and Beyond, MObugs, and especially Fall to Climb - check them out!!!), I finally discovered the true identity of this male oil beetle over a year after seeing it. Most blister beetles have a very different look, but I should have paid attention to the narrow pronotum as an identifying characteristic of the family. As much as I wish I had taken a picture that indicated its impressive size, I am very glad I didn't handle it!

pss 05/09/10 - I take back the ground beetle comment at Fort Ord. They're darkling beetles in the family Tenebrionidae.

pss 04/16/11 - For an even greater TGIQ oil beetle post check out Fall to Climb.

habitat ~ 03/14/09 ~ Fort Ord - BLM Creekside

Fort Ord Public Lands - Creekside entrance
March 14, 2009

This hike was almost at the peak, bright green of spring that I so love. In the distance of the first photo, there's Toro County Park (sunlit green) and Mt. Toro (what looks like a shaded hill in the background, but is actually quite a ways away).

witch's butter ~ 03/14/09 ~ Fort Ord

witch's butter parasitizing false turkey tail with fiesta flower leaves
Tremella aurantia parasitizing Stereum hirsutum
for more information click here and here
Boraginaceae (formerly Hydrophyllaceae)

I'm almost certain the beautiful orange is witch's butter. The bracket fungi looks a little confusing to ID to species. And I believe those are fiesta flower leaves gracing the picture.

ps 12/30/10 - I had this originally identified as another witch's butter Tremella mesenterica. I've made the corrections to the ID below the picture above. This was my original blog profile pic.

pss 02/15/11 - Thanks to DDD, across the pond they call T. mesenterica yellow brain fungus!

Indian warrior

Pedicularis densiflora
Orobanchaceae (formerly Scrophulariaceae)

I saw a ton of these under the manzanitas at Fort Ord. It's related to the paintbrushes.