I found this tiny Jumping Spider (Salticidae) in a narrow gap between two leaves of Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia, Fagaceae). Sure, it's looking at me. There's something unnerving about making eye contact with such a tiny critter, but here it is. There are many kinds of these little jumpers that I can't tell apart, and this is one of them. Isn't it cute! (San Marcos Pass, 31 January 2018)

The NWS Forecast Discussion this morning said that "The weather pattern is relentlessly unchanging through the xtnded period." Later on they added "Really not seeing much change in this pattern at least through next weekend as well so it`s looking likely that the first 10 days of February will be dry and quite possibly longer." The weather is warm and beautiful but dry dry dry. For some reason the chorus frogs have been really going at all night it in our outdoor bathtub water garden. Go figure.

"We must not be hasty."

—Treebeard in The Two Towers

Who's side are you?

Side? I am on no one's side...because no one is on my side.

Well,that's pretty sweet design =Ъ

This is a handsome Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides) butterfly resting on a flower cluster in the mint patch of the garden. These butterflies are are quite plain below - see this photo. This photo shows that they are more interesting above. (San Marcos Pass, 21 August 2017)

The eclipse happened this morning, and I even got a photo through the clouds. It was curious that the traffic on the highway was terrible - and the internet traffic was also terrible. Was everyone on the mountain trying to stream the eclipse at the same time?

Even armored predators need love!

Here are a mating pair of tiny Pacific Ambush Bugs (Phymata pacifica, Phymatidae) on a leaf of native California Coffeeberry (Frangula californica aka Rhamnus californica) in the Rhamnaceae plant family. This particular shrub still has a few flowers, and lots of these predators - I have another photo of one from the same shrub. They remind me of shogun-era samurai warriors. The color is interesting. I've always assumed they are color-shifters that change to match their flowers, but I saw three different mating pairs recently, and they all had a yellow male riding a white female. Is there something else going on? It's not quite Wednesday by local time, but it is by Flickr/GMT/UTC time, so Happy Hump Day! (San Marcos Pass, 29 July 2018)

This is a striking little fly (Diptera) on a new flower of California Aster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia, Asteraceae) in the woods on a rainy day yesterday. It has a clear wings and a remarkably long curved proboscis. I believe it is a atypical Bee Fly in the family Bombyliidae, maybe genus Poecilognathus or Neacreotrichus in the tribe Phthiriinae -- compare this photo. HFDF! (San Marcos Pass, 18 September 2025)

"Tree? I am no tree. I am an Ent."

"Treebeard some call me."

The Lord of the Rings - "The Last March of the Ents "

Lord of the RIngs OST

Visit this location at The Shire - A homely slice of Middle Earth in Second Life

...orcs not so much.

There is a spider's exuviae -- the shed skin after the molt -- on native Telegraph Weed (Heterotheca grandiflora, Asteraceae) in the woods today. It might a tiny Green Lynx Spider (Peucetia, Oxyopidae), see this photo on the same plant. That word "exuviae" sounds plural, but it is the preferred word even in the singular. It occurs to me that the word "remains" as in "someone's remains" works the same way. Arachtober 10. (San Marcos Pass, 10 October 2022)

Here is a little forest of sexual sporophytes of (I believe) the California Liverwort (Asterella californica, Marchantiophyta) growing on the face of a sandstone outcrop. These look different from the liverworts in this photo which might be Palmer's Asterella (Asterella palmeri) - less like a helmet and more like little surfing palm trees! We have more different kinds of liverworts in our woods than I previously thought. There's a checklist of different California species at iNaturalist, but I haven't yet found a proper key. They seem to be having a good year with all the rain. (San Marcos Pass, 10 February 2019)

Here is a snail trail on a sandstone outcrop, with tiny crustose lichens. It's like a sugar glaze on a doughnut - but it's a slime trail instead! It has interesting oil-slick iridescence, and you can even see some reflections of the trees and sky in the upper-right. I'm not sure if it's the same kind of snail, but I have this photo of our most common native terrestrial Shoulderband Snail (genus Helminthoglypta, Helminthoglytidae, Gastropoda). This is my photo for the Macro Mondays group, with the theme of "Glaze". HMM! (San Marcos Pass, 7 April 2017)

This looks like fireworks! It's a spider on its web in a beam of sunlight in the shady woods on Mount Tabor in Portland, Oregon. I can't remember, but maybe there was a puff of wind or I bumped my tripod with my elbow? This web is the work of a small Cross Spider (Araneus diadematus, Araneidae), see this photo for a less dramatic shot. You can actually see the spider in my photo as that brown blur in the upper left. It's a neat effect that would be worth playing with deliberately to see what you could get. Happy Web Webnesday! (Mount Tabor, Portland, Oregon, 27 September 2017)

I believe this pretty green Crab Spider (Thomisidae) is Diaea livens. This one is perched on a leaf of native Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia, Fagaceae), where it belongs. I actually first noticed it on the back of my hand. I transfered it to the oak leaf, and it seemed happy there. See my [Previous] photo. Arachtober 23. (San Marcos Pass, 6 January 2015)

I didn't find any interesting spiders today, so I'm posting a couple from the archives that I've been itching to show. I'm pretty sure I haven't put this one up before, though I've posted ones like it here and here.

Yep, I've got more from the archives I'd like to post, but it feels like cheating! I hope tomorrow is more of a spider day.

New Zealand's third island

Tomorrow "The Hobbit" is due for release on Bluray and look who I've found in the woods.

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Here is a nice photo of a Pacific Ambush Bug (Phymata pacifica, Phymatidae) on a leaf of Coffeeberry that was flowering. These tiny predators have remarkable armor that reminds me of crabs or traditional Japanese armor. Now look at the other Ambush Bug I found in this photo. That one might be a nymph, but even so - are they the same or different? (San Marcos Pass, 13 July 2018)

This is a butt shot of another little Crab Spider (Thomisidae) on fading flowers of California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum, Polygonaceae). If you use the individual flowers of the buckwheat as your ruler, you can see this this spider is quite a bit larger than this other crab spider I posted a couple of days ago. (The buckwheat flowers are about 1/8 inch across. It's a small world!) The spider might be genus Mecaphesa again. If you look close, you can see that it has a safety line. They seem to be our most common spiders right now. HBBBT and Arachtober 13! (San Marcos Pass, 12 October 2016)

We didn't have marine layer fog this morning, but I had an appointment in town. By the time I got home, there were clouds and breeze for the rest of the day. We do have a chance of rain over the weekend, up to 40% by Sunday night. I'm not holding by breath, but we do need it. We had a bit of rain in April and May, 1/10 inch or so, but this might be our first significant rain since April. *Sigh* I guess there's a 60% chance it will miss us.

Here is the rear end of the tiny nymph of an Assassin Bug (Reduviidae, Heteroptera, Hemiptera) trying to get away from me on a leaf of Wild Blackberry (Rubus ursinus, Rosaceae) in the woods. Hah - it has a face on its butt! We seem to have a few different kinds of the nymphs in the woods: this one has speckled legs and spines on its abdomen, while this one doesn't. HBBBT! (San Marcos Pass, 12 August 2017)

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This is tiny Orb-Weaver Spider (Araneus, Araneidae) spider in California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum, Polygonaceae) in the woods today. I believe this one is either Araneus bispinosus or Araneus montereyensis, see Alice Abelia's comment on this photo. It is a male spider with large palps. (San Marcos Pass, 29 January 2022)

I believe this is a Rural Skipper (Ochlodes agricola) butterfly working one of the last flowers of native White Sage (Salvia apiana, Lamiaceae) on the wild edge of our garden. These butterflies are very similar to the Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides) in this photo, but they have three little hyaline (translucent) spots near the forewing tips which distinguish them. (San Marcos Pass, 14 July 2018)

It was a little bit warmer today, in the low 90s. The wind was not exactly calm, but not bad either. Nice day!

This is looking up into a new flower of native Bitter Gooseberry (Ribes amarum, Grossulariaceae) in the woods today, first new flower I've noticed. I like the heart-shaped anthers, though I would actually call them sagittate (arrowhead-like) rather than cordate (heart-like). If you look close, you can see little pinhead glands on the "petals" (that are really sepals, the real petals are white). Leaves, flower stalks, and the flowers themselves are all glandular in this species. See this photo for a comparison of our different native gooseberries. (San Marcos Pass, 12 January 2023)

"Please Don't Pick The Wildflowers!"

*Sigh* I suppose it was inevitable. Some thoughtless "drive-by picker" got this native Humboldt Lily (Lilium humboldtii ssp. ocellatum, Liliaceae) along the road in Kinevan Canyon last week. And they didn't even do it right - the stem is broken, not cut. I never posted a photo of this specimen in flower, but it was impressive - about eight feet tall, with a dozen flowers, see this photo for a nearby plant of the same stature taken today. Please don't pick the wildflowers. Leave them be for the butterflies and to make seeds. This is my photo for for the Macro Mondays group, with the theme of "Broken". HMM! (San Marcos Pass, 23 June 2017)

then, i went to the “Fangorn Forest” ^o^ remember that forest with huge branches of trees in The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers? hahahah… ^o^, it was the exactly feeling i’d when walking through the paths of the sacred monkey forest sanctuary in ubud. ancient beyond guessing, this forest is sacred for the balinese and for many years no one has been permitted to chop wood there. the forest is home to three temples, dating from around the 14th century. the largest is the Pura Dalem Agung, located on the highest point of the forest. A path through the trunks of huge nutmeg and banyan*figs* trees and across a small creek leads to the Holy Bathing Temple. and, yeah… the great trailing beards of banyan trees hung from them, swayed when blown by the breeze, it was an exceptional vision. >_< well, although i’m not a fan of typical flash shot, here *R1C1 Wireless Speedlight System* i wanted to add some extras on the hanging banyan roots and get the inattentive tourist in the same frame.

Photography taken in Ubud - Bali – Indonesia

Better view at… / Um close melhor no... Original Size

na floresta… ^o^ à procura de Treebeard...♫

então, fui para a "Floresta de Fangorn" ^o^ lembra-se da floresta com as árvores de imensos galhos em O Senhor dos Anéis, As Duas Torres? hahahah… ^o^, foi exatamente o sentimento que eu tive ao caminhar pelas sendas da floresta do macaco sagrado em ubud. antigo além da adivinhação, esta floresta é sagrada para o balinese e durante muitos anos ninguém é permitido cortar madeira por lá. a floresta abriga três templos, datando ao redor do século 14. o maior deles é o Pura Dalem Agung, localizado no ponto mais alto da floresta. por um caminho acobertado por enormes troncos de árvores de noz-moscada e banyan *figueira* e através de um pequeno riacho chega-se ao Sagrado Templo do Banho. e, sim… as grandes barbas rastejantes das árvores de banyan*figueiras* dependuradas balançavam qdo sopradas pela brisa, foi uma visão excepcional. >_< bom, embora eu não seja fã de fotos de flash típico, aqui *R1C1 Wireless Speedlight System* eu quis somar alguns extras nas raízes suspensas da figueira *banyan e tbm incluir o turista distraído no mesmo enquadramento.

Fotografado em Ubud - Bali – Indonésia

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Ö_Ö a good day to y’all

beijos & hugs to all and see you later ^o^

beijos e abraços para todos e vejo vcs mais tarde^o^

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I'm pretty sure this is another Crab Spider (Thomisidae) in the genus Mecaphesa. The yellow color is unusual but not unheard of - see this photo. I believe these spiders are color-shifters, but it's interesting that I found this one on leaves of Eastwood Manzanita (Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. mollis, Ericaceae) with nothing yellow in sight. Go figure. (San Marcos Pass, 27 February 2018)

Here is a tiny Orb Web Weaver (family Araneidae) spider with a large web on an old seed head of native Black Sage (Salvia mellifera, Lamiaceae). The spider is quite small, less than 1/8 inch, maybe a Labyrinth Spider (genus Metepeira, Araneidae), see closer shot this photo. It also looks like the work of a Zygiella or Parazygiella with a missing section like a pie slice? Happy Web Webnesday! (San Marcos Pass, 11 February 2022)

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This is the trunk of a sapling native Madrone (Arbutus menziesii, Ericaceae) tree showing the pretty "peeling bark" that these trees have - with a green sprout of native California Honeysuckle (Lonicera hispidula, Caprifoliaceae) for a highlight. I first thought this theme would be easy, but I actually had a hard time finding peeling bark in the woods, so maybe summer is a better time to look - see this photo. It's also been hard because of the rainy weather this week, wahoo! This is my photo for the Macro Mondays group, with the theme of "It's a-peeling to me". I didn't realize until I was ready to post that this photo may not quite be a macro, but I suspect the sapling is about 3 inches across. It might qualify - barely - so HMM! (San Marcos Pass, 19 January 2017)

We had a good rain today, but not the deluge I've been hoping for. We've had about 2-1/4 inches so far. Rain is still expected tonight and tomorrow, and there is another band of rain showing on the radar map right now, so maybe we'll make the low end of the 3-6+ forecast?

"Grishnákh was an Orc captain from Barad-dûr in the service of Sauron in the Third Age, who led a host of Mordor Orcs to join Saruman's Uruk-hai soldiers who were taking Merry and Pippin across the plain of Rohan to Isengard. When they were ambushed by the Rohirrim, Grishnákh managed to survive the onslaught and chased Merry and Pippin into Fangorn Forest, only to be stomped to death by an awoken Treebeard."

Grishnákh, the orc captain of Barad-dûr, as seen in

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Sculpted and painted by me.

And yes, he's got his sword in his left hand,

because he's left-handed in the movie.

This is another shot of the golden Syrphid Flower Fly (family Syrphidae, order Diptera) on a native Fort Tejon Milk-Aster aka Chicory-leaved Stephanomeria (Stephanomeria cichoriacea, Asteraceae). See this photo. Beautiful fly and flower! You can see the "spurious vein" on its upper wing if you know what to look for. HFDF! (East Camino Cielo, Santa Ynez Mountains, 18 November 2015)

This is a tiny but perfectly formed fly (order (Diptera) perched on a rain-drop-encrusted leaf of Wild Blackberry (Rubus ursinus, Rosaceae) a few days ago This fly really is tiny, only about 600 pixels long in this 1:1 macro shot, which comes to 2.4 mm, about 3/32 inch. (See here for how I figured.) I'm not sure what kind of fly it is. It has the eyes of a Tephritid Fruit Fly (family Tephritidae) but the gray body of a Drosophilid Fly (Drosophilidae). HFDF! (San Marcos Pass, 14 March 2016)

I don't have any "new years" specific shots, but here's a fun one from our 2015 road trip.

Happy New Years everyone!

This is another little Crab Spider (Thomisidae) on a surprising flower head of California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum, Polygonaceae) that surprisingly still has flowers. I believe from the spider's general hairiness that this is another genus Mecaphesa spider. I've been finding a few of these lately, see here and here. I believe that this one is a female. See my [Next] photo for a very different male. (San Marcos Pass, 29 January 2018)

This is a tiny spider on a dead leaf of Southern Bush Monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus var. pubescens, Phrymaceae). It looks something like an Orb Web Weaver spider in the family Araneidae, but I can't find it in my book. It's really tiny, about 870 pixels long in this 1:1 macro shot, which comes to 3.4 mm, about 1/8 inch. (See here for how I figured.) This spider seems to have a "glittery patch" on its back - maybe glandular? It's an attractive spider. (San Marcos Pass, 2 May 2018)

también en 500px / also in 500px

The March of the Ents! Instructions now available

Slow but steady like a tree shepherd I finished my newest Ent-structions so you can build Treebeard with 305 bricks.

It was quite a challenge to make Treebeard sturdy and easy to build, but I'm very happy with the result. No rare bricks get used so the price point for the bricks lies around 30€/ 35$.

For the uninitiated, Ents are ancient walking trees from The Lord of the Rings.

Ents, also known as Onodrim (Tree-host) by the Elves, were a very old race of Middle-earth. They were apparently created at the behest of Yavanna after she learned of Aulë's children, the Dwarves, knowing that they would want to fell trees. Becoming "shepherds" of the trees, they protected certain forests from Orcs and other perils. The Elves had tales of teaching the trees and the Ents to talk: although the Ents were sentient beings at the time, they did not know how to speak until the Elves taught them. Treebeard spoke of the Elves "curing the Ents of their dumbness", an unforgettable gift.

Thanks to the very detailed website; lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Ents

This is a remarkable male Crab Spider (Thomisidae) on a humble but native flower of Telegraph Weed (Heterotheca grandiflora, Asteraceae). The spider is only about 1/10 inch long, but those front legs are much larger - 1/2 inch or more! If you look close at the spider's face, you can see a white ridge between its eyes and mouth parts. That suggests that this is actually a male White-banded Crab Spider (Misumenoides formosipes) - the same kind of large white crab spider I've been photographing in the basil plants in the garden at home! Compare this photo of a female - there is no comparison, except they both have a white ridge under their eyes. This is real sexual dimorphism - meaning that males and females look totally different. See this photo for another example with crab spiders. (San Marcos Pass, 10 September 2017)

I actually got a reprieve from work today as I sent my newsletter draft out to a few society board members for review and comments, and I gave them until noon tomorrow to respond. I took a walk with my camera! I'll get it off to the printers on Monday and do some errands - then we head off to Oregon on Tuesday!

This is a small Bee Fly (order Bombyliidae, Diptera) approaching a new flower of native Sticky False Gilyflower (Allophyllum glutinosum) in the Polemoniaceae plant family in our canyon. (No relation to gillyweed in Harry Potter 4! I've never actually heard anyone use this name.) It's a remarkable summer plant that's just starting to flower and will probably continue until September or later. It's a remarkable fly too. It looks like a small version of the larger genus Bombylius flies that we get in mid-winter, see this photo, so maybe it's the same genus? At least I guess it is in the same tribe Bombyliini of the subfamily Bombyliinae. The fly won't actually land on the flower, but it will perch on its front legs while keeping in the air - see this photo. (East Camino Cielo, Santa Ynez Mountains, 28 May 2017)

I'm still feeling crummy with a cold, but it was a nice day to feel crummy on! It was sunny all day with temps in the 70s and modest breeze. Tomorrow sounds like more of the same.

This is another shot of the tiny Orb-Weaver Spider (Araneus, Araneidae) near its web on a Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia, Fagaceae). The spider really is really tiny, less than 1/8 inch. I believe this one is either Araneus bispinosus or Araneus montereyensis, see Alice Abelia's comment on this photo. The spider is on one of those aphid-induced "rolled leaf galls" of Woolly Oak Aphids in the genus Stegophylla of the Aphididae, this photo. (San Marcos Pass, 21 December 2021)

This cute little Jumping Spider (Salticidae) has climbed up onto a spent flower of Common Ivy (Hedera helix, Araliaceae) in Portland, Oregon last month. Hah - see this photo and this photo to get a sense of scale! Is the spider missing one of its palps or is it just the angle of the shot? I got this photo during our recent trip to Oregon. I'm posting it today in support of International Jumping Spider Day on 10/10. Really! Arachtober 10. (Mount Tabor, Portland, Oregon, 27 September 2017)

At the end of the story after Aragorn is crowned king, he promised Treebeard that the Ents could prosper again and spread to new lands with the threat of Mordor gone, and renew their search for the Entwives. However, Treebeard sadly lamented that forests may spread but the Ents would not, and he predicted that the few remaining Ents would remain in Fangorn forest until they slowly dwindled in number or become "treeish", saying: "Sheep get like shepherds, and shepherds get like sheep. But it is quicker and closer, with trees and Ents...

The Lord of the Rings ~J.R.R. Tolkien~

I found this fresh Cortinarius mushroom in the woods today. It has the viscid cap and bulbous stem of the subgenus Bulbopodium, though you can't see them in this photo. Maybe it's Cortinarius sodagnitus or C. glaucopus or something similar? This one is growing under Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia, Fagaceae). I have another photo of a similar mushroom from a week ago here. It's more of a blue-gray than an blue-violet, but it's my best shot at an indigo mushroom. Compare my [Previous] photo. This is my photo for the Macro Mondays group, with the theme "Inspired by a Song" - the song being "Mood Indigo" by the great Duke Ellington - listen here. HMM! (San Marcos Pass, 8 January 2017)

What a joy it has been this month seeing everyone's artistic and creative images as we've journeyed through the alphabet. And what a challenge it has been, too, with those “hard letters” we all dread. But perhaps, those are the fun letters, especially when they make us get extra creative, and think outside the box!

As always, a great big Thank You to RevDrPepper for the invitation to FAFM 2024!

And, thanks to everyone for putting up with my oddball collections, and even those pesky Stormtroopers that kept popping up. Here’s my collage of this year’s Toys, What Nots, and Odds & Ends:

Ash, Bedtime for Bonzo, Charlie Weaver, dollhouse, elephant bank, Galileo thermometer, Harry Potter, Ice sculpture intervention, Jack Sparrow, Ken and Kirk, Live long and prosper, music box, napkin ring, owl, Pizza party pandemonium, Queen Anne's lace, record, salt and pepper shaker, Treebeard, umbrella and umbrella stand, Vader, Wanton ways, X-men, yellow and zombie slippers.

Hope to see you next year!

_________________________________________

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A merry christmas ent a happy new year!

You'd almost forget it's that time of the year again with all of the work. Luckily, I found some time to participate in Eurobricks Christmas raffle once again. I'm beginning to think I'm not winning anything because the challenge was to create your ideal christmas tree, and mine isn't exactly a tree... :P

But o well, I had a blast building it, pulling some forgotten pieces out of the closet with some rats, clubs wings, dinos and who knows what else. I pushed myself to present it in the best way possible, and I'm quite happy with how the render turned out. Apart from the grain, that is. I guess you have to be able to tell the difference with a real picture.

Well, enjoy the time of the year, and lots of bricks to all of you!

This is the perfect husk of a spider above our retaining wall which makes a perfect window into the floor of the woods, taken last January. With that color and those legs, I guess this is the shed skin of a Crab Spider (Thomisidae), probably the same Diaea livens spider that I show in my [Next] photo. I've never found this spider at home, but I guess they're here. If you look close, you can see that it has its old head (with eyes) on its butt! That must have something to do with the way it sheds its old skin. Arachtober 23. (San Marcos Pass, 21 January 2015)

I didn't find any interesting spiders today, so I'm posting a couple from the archives that I've been itching to show. I'm pretty sure I haven't put this one up before, though I've posted ones like it here and here.

Forces of Isengard - LOTR Factions V from Tolkien's Middle-Earth

Burn Every Village!!!

L-R:

- Dunlending Wildman

- Uruk-Hai Soldier

- Lurtz

- Peregrine "Pippin" Took

- Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck

- Warg Rider

- Saruman

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I found this striking Ichneumon Wasp (family Ichneumonidae, Hymenoptera) on a leaf of Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia, Fagaceae) today. At least I believe it's an Ichneumon, but I don't have a clue what kind it is beyond that - it's a large group. The colors are remarkable, especially that turquoise band on the wasp's rear end. I found it perched on this oak leaf, and it was gone a moment later. Maybe I've found the same wasp before, see this photo - though that one doesn't have that pretty turquoise band. If you know about this wasp, I would appreciate a comment. (San Marcos Pass, 24 January 2019)

It was sunny and warmer today - up to the low-60s even on our shady side of the canyon. I'm having better luck finding insects than mushrooms right now - and it was raining cats and dogs just a week ago!