View allAll Photos Tagged treebeard
Here is a spider whose web I photographed yesterday -- see this photo. It is indeed a tiny Six-spotted Orb Weaver (Araniella displicata, Araneidae) on an umbrella-like "perfoliate" leaf of native California Honeysuckle (Lonicera hispidula, Caprifoliaceae) in the woods. Arachtober 9. (San Marcos Pass, 9 October 2021)
These are more small Crab Spiders (Mecaphesa, Thomisidae) sharing a plant of native Sawtooth Goldenbush (Hazardia squarrosa, Asteraceae) in the woods today. I'm sure they are preparing to mate, see this photo from earlier of this week. Arachtober 17a. (San Marcos Pass, 17 October 2024)
You might have to look twice to see that these are mating flies and not wasps! They are doing it in a flowering shrub of native California Coffeeberry (Frangula californica, Rhamnaceae) in the woods today. I assumed at the time that they were Syrphid Flies (Syrphidae) like the one in this photo, but now I can see that the eyes are not patterned and the antennae are all wrong. The antennae in particular look like they belong to a Soldier Fly in the family Stratiomyidae. Maybe they are the species Stratiomys maculosa which I show in this photo, but I believe that one has a noticeably flattened abdomen which these flies seem to lack. I don't know what else it could be. Any advice on ID will be appreciated. (San Marcos Pass, 14 June 2020)
*Update* Nope, these flies are Syrphid flies (Syrphidae) - species Ceriana tridens. See this photo for more info.
Treebeard from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
This is based off the Ent frame I made for the One LUG's The Last March of the Ents display. I wanted to build a Treebeard but got carried away building other Ents to populate the diorama. So I built him a half year too late and on a three inch round base (instead of a 8 foot round base). I guess it all works out the same.
The eyes are made of a trans-yellow old school hose/tube.
This is another tiny Orb-Weaver Spider (Araneus, Araneidae) spider on native Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia, Fagaceae) in the woods today. I believe this spider is either Araneus bispinosus or Araneus montereyensis, probably the former. It's interesting that I found the same spider in the same location a couple of weeks ago, compare this photo. (San Marcos Pass, 3 February 2024)
Here's a proper spider web for Halloween! The spider in the middle is the large bottlecap-size Orb-Weaver Spider (Araneidae) that I've shown several times already, most recently in this photo. I believe the spider is genus Araneus, probably Araneus gemma or A. gemmoides. (These species are known to cross.) The orb webs of these spiders are a few feet across, but sometimes they span roads. You don't want to walk into one of these large webs, especially at night - where's the spider?? Arachtober 30c and Happy Web Webnesday! (San Marcos Pass, 26 October 2019)
This is a Six-spotted Orb Weaver (Araniella displicata) spider on its web in a small tree of Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia, Fagaceae). It's tiny, only about 800 pixels across in this 1:1 macro shot, which comes to 3.1 mm - about 1/8 inch. (See here for how I figure.) I have another shot of the same spider from two weeks ago showing its whole web, see this photo. These handsome spiders sometimes build their orb webs across the curvature of a single oak leaf. This one has a web that spans several leaves, but the whole thing is still only about an inch across. This little spider usually hangs upside-down on its web hiding the gorgeous colors on its back, but today it turned over. Arachtober 6. (San Marcos Pass, 6 October 2019)
Today was another very nice day with temps in the low-80s like yesterday. Also like yesterday, there was the same steady breeze from the south that makes keeps everything in motion and makes getting my photos difficult.
This little Jumping Spider (Salticidae) has captured a Flesh Fly (Sarcophagidae, Diptera) on the pad of a Prickly Pear (Opuntia, Cactaceae) cactus in our garden. I believe the spider is another Johnson Jumper (Phidippus johnsoni) or kin, different from the one in yesterday's photo. See my [Previous] photo (here) for the chase before the kill. I had to think which photo to put first today, but this is the better photo. Arachtober 9. (San Marcos Pass, 9 October 2016)
Today was a good day for spider photos. I only got as far as the mailbox and already had photos of this one, another green lynx spider, a crab spider, a labyrinth spider, and a cat-faced spider! I may take tomorrow off. It was a nice-enough day, a little breezy. Interesting - it was warm on the sun, but cool in the shade. It's another sign of autumn.
I've been showing predators other than spiders for the last couple of days, here and here, and this is another one - a tough-looking Spiny Assassin Bug (genus Sinea, Reduviidae) on a stem of Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia, Fagaceae). They are gnarly-looking predators, though they are shy and retiring in my experience. It's interesting that I was also finding them last spring, e.g. this photo from March. Hah - it's got bumps and spines like a little dinosaur! I also found a different kind of assassin bug which will keep until tomorrow. Like I've said, autumn is the season of the predators, both spiders and insects. I figure it's their role to finish off the summer insects before winter does anyway. (San Marcos Pass, 4 October 2019)
Today was sunny and even warmer than yesterday, in the upper-70s. The temperature is creeping up and will soon be in the 80s again if the forecast works out. It was almost calm this morning when I was out with my camera, though a breeze did kick up in the afternoon. Nice day!
I was taking a follow-up photo of the tiny slime molds (Myxogastria, Myxomycetes) that I showed yesterday in this photo when a visitor showed up - look in the lower left of my photo. It's a Globular Springtail (Symphypleona, Collembola) - maybe family Dicyrtomidae and genus Ptenothrix? It moved quickly across the dead leaf and disappeared over the edge. The slime molds are less than a millimeter across which gives scale. They look quite different after just one day, solidifying and going from white to gray. They are still developing, but maybe they are Diderma effusum? I'll keep an eye on them for as long as I can find them. (San Marcos Pass, 14 January 2019)
Our storm today pretty much crapped out with just 1/10 inch, though it was blustery all day. Now the forecast is for heavy rain on Tuesday and again on Thursday. There's a NWS Flash Flood Watch in effect Tuesday afternoon, and I'm sure people below last year's Thomas Fire are paying attention. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has now issued an evacuation order for the burn areas. I hope the new storm delivers more rain than today's storm - but doesn't cause flooding!
Here is an impressive Robber Fly (family Asilidae, Diptera) cradling its prey between its two front legs on a leaf of Arroyo Willow (Salix lasiolepis, Salicaceae) by the creek today. It's cradling its prey, but there's nothing tender about it - look close! The fly looks something like the species Stenopogon californiae in this photo, except the long hairs on its face are black - but maybe it's the same genus? (Someone else at BugGuide asks the same thing.) This is really two flies for one, so HFDF! (San Marcos Pass, 21 August 2020)
I found these mating insects on a leaf of Caterpillar Phacelia (Phacelia cicutaria var. hispida, Boraginaceae) in the woods last week. They are a tiny Lace Bugs in the family Tingidae. It's my impression that the different species of Lace Bugs are specific to their hosts, and I know we have one kind on Wild Sweetpea (here) and a different kind on Yerba Santa (here). My photo today might show a third kind, though I haven't found any mention yet of these bugs on Phacelia plants. Happy Hump Day! (San Marcos Pass, 21 April 2022)
Here is another shot of a golden Syrphid Fly (Syrphidae, Diptera) on a leaf of Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia, Fagaceae) in the woods a couple of days ago, see this photo for another shot of the same fly. If you compare both photos, you can see that this one has its tail extended - like those collapsible cups they used to sell for backpacking with nested cups that open up. See this photo to see what that's for! I believe this fly is species Syrphus opinator which is said to be common in central California. HBBBT! (San Marcos Pass, 26 January 2021)
My photos today should look familiar because they are all critters I've shown before. It rained all day again, and I never got outside for the second day in a row, so I'm using photos from earlier this week. We stand now at six inches of rain for the storm, and it's still coming down. That's actually on the low side compared with locations more to the west - 11.6 inches in the hills by Lompoc and 14.6 inches at Rocky Butte in the NW corner of San Luis Obispo county! This has been an Atmospheric River type of storm with a narrow moisture plume - too far north or south and you miss it completely. I hope it will clear out tomorrow so I can get out with my camera - I reckon the woods have changed!
I found this tiny but perfect Grasshopper (Acrididae, Orthoptera) perched on the tip of a leaf in the mint patch of our garden this morning. I guess it's a tiny Oedaleonotus phryneicus grasshopper in the family of Spur-throated Grasshoppers (Melanoplinae). I got this photo at 1:1 magnification with my macro lens, so I can use my camera as an expensive remote micrometer. The critter is about 1370 pixels across. That makes it about 5.4 mm across, less than 1/4 inch. See this photo for how I figured. (San Marcos Pass, 18 May 2015)
Tant qu'à être dans le Tolkien, voici une dernière image. (Une des premières que j'ai vu en visitant ces magnifiques jardins)
Elle m'a inévitablement remémoré mes lectures d'ado du Seigneur des Anneaux. L'Ent Sylvebarbe, Gandalf et tous les acteurs de cette épopée me sont revenus à l'esprit. C'était plutôt cool !
While talking about Tolkien, here's one last picture. (One of the first I saw when visiting the beautiful gardens)
It inevitably reminded me of my teen reading of The Lord of the Rings. The Ent Treebeard, Gandalf and all the characters in this saga came back to mind. It was pretty cool!
Press L to view in full screen.
This beautiful green Crab Spider (Thomisidae) is Diaea livens, perched for a moment on a leaf of native White Sage (Salvia apiana, Lamiaceae) growing on the wild side of our garden. I reckon the spider is a male with those enlarged palps. I got this photo in the breeze this morning, and it came out better than I expected. The shadow is pretty cool also! Arachtober 14. (San Marcos Pass, 3 April 2016)
This photo is quite similar to this one - but not identical! Now that the Arachtober group has gone to 2 photos per day, I figure I'll post one new and one old. Some of the old ones may be similar to ones I've posted before. I can't sit for months on a good photo!
Here are two shots of a really tiny spider hanging from the spine of an oak leaf. It was doing some aerobatics - hanging on a line and then going back to the point again. This spider is even tinier than the one I showed yesterday - about 450 pixels across in these 1:1 macro shots, which comes to 1.8 mm, less than 1/10 inch. (See here for how I figured.) I only noticed it because it was hanging from its web line. I have no idea what kind of spider it is. Is it an adult or a juvenile? What (or who) does it eat? Arachtober 11. (San Marcos Pass, 11 October 2018)
Today started gloomy like yesterday - we even got almost 1/10 inch of drizzle in the rain gauge! It started to clear up before noon, but then the fog winds started started to kick in. And it stalled that way most of the day - clouds blowing over the mountains and winds propelling them. It wasn't a great day for taking photos, but I managed to get a few keepers.
This is another Crab Spider (Mecaphesa, Thomisidae) on a leaf of Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia, Fagaceae) in the woods today. This is probably the same spider I showed in two days ago in this photo. Arachtober 21b. (San Marcos Pass, 21 October 2024)
Here are two shots of an impressive Jumping Spider (Salticidae) in an shrub of native California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum, Polygonaceae) in the woods today. The shrub still has a few flowers among the faded ones, and I first found this spider on a cluster of them. I'm sure it is some kind of genus Phidippus spider with those orange colors on its abdomen, but the grizzled black and white on its face and legs is just as impressive. If you look close on the left, you can see its spiky hair and just a hint of blue/green chelicerae. It looks something like the spider I found in this photo last month, except that one has a red abdomen. Both might be species Phidippus adumbratus which is part of the Phidippus insignarius group. It's a grand spider, larger than most jumpers. (San Marcos Pass, 2 November 2020)
There was a steady breeze while I was trying to photograph this spider, and I did what I always do in the wind - take lots of photos and go through them for the few keepers. It was warm today also, almost up to 80°. I'm still posting photos from our "missing week" with no internet, and I probably will be for some time.
Here are a pair of really tiny spiders that I found in the woods today. The one on the left is just 480 pixels across in another 1:1 macro shot, which comes to 1.9 mm - less than 1/10 inch. (See here for how I figure.) I found it in under an oak leaf. The one in the right is even smaller, just 360 pixels in another 1:1 macro shot, which comes to 1.4 mm - about 1/16 inch. It's on the tip of a cactus spine in our garden. I don't know what these spiders are, but the one on the left is definitely a male with swollen palps. A good thing about the Arachtober quest for spiders is that it makes you look close! Arachtober 27b. (San Marcos Pass, 27 October 2019)
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This is a Large Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa, Hymenoptera) showing the right way to enter a flower of White Sage (Salvia apiana, Lamiaceae). The bee is using its mass to fully open the flower, and going in through the proper throat of the flower so that pollination can occur. Smaller bees aren't heavy enough to leverage the flowers open, so they have to find other ways - compare this photo where the bee is bending the flower over backwards. This White Sage shrub is running low on new flowers, but it keeps putting out a few at a time. (San Marcos Pass, 31 July 2018)
This is a tiny Trashline Orb Weaver (Cyclosa, Araneidae) spider hanging in the inner circle of her web in the woods today. These spiders decorate their webs with the body parts of their prey, pirate fashion -- like this. Arachtober 30a. (San Marcos Pass, 30 October 2023)
This is a mating pair of grasshoppers (Acrididae, Orthoptera) on a leaf of native Coyote Mint aka White-leaf Monardella (Monardella hypoleuca, Lamiaceae) that will be flowering any day now. If you look close, you can see that both grasshoppers have very short wings - and they are obviously adults! I believe they are Oedaleonotus phryneicus (Melanoplinae) grasshoppers, and those little stubs are all the wings they will ever get. The colors of these grasshoppers sure is confusing. These are dark, but others are tan - compare this photo. They just are variable, but they all have little stubby wings. Happy hump day! (San Marcos Pass, 3 July 2019)
Today was another nice day, with temps up to about 80°. I went up East Camino Cielo road looking for red, white, and blue flowers for an Independence Day triptych tomorrow. It was curious that marine-layer clouds seemed to grow in size as I drove along. They never got up to my level in the mountains, though the "fog wind" did.
Here are small "Little Brown Mushrooms" (LBMs) with depressed caps and decurrent gills that go down the stalk growing in sandy soil above our retaining wall. I believe these mushrooms are Omphalina pyxidata or kin. I have another photo of the same mushrooms when they are just starting and don't yet have the depressed caps - see this photo. I got this one above our retaining wall at a comfortable height for photography. (San Marcos Pass, 30 March 2019)
I found this mating pair of non-biting Deer Flies in the family Tabanidae, probably Stonemyia californica, on a flower of of native Southern Bush Monkey Flower (Mimulus aurantiacus var. pubescens, Phrymaceae) today. It seems like an odd position, but compare this photo of mating Bee Flies from last week. These flies don't seek a blood meal like most other tabanid species but visit flowers instead, see this photo. Happy hump day! (San Marcos Pass, 9 July 2019)
I believe it's an Ichneumon Wasp in the family Ichneumonidae -- superfamily Ichneumonoidea for sure. This is on of leaf of native Canyon Sunflower (Venegasia carpesioides, Asteraceae) that is still wet from the fog this morning. These are parasitic wasps that lay their eggs on the larvae of other insects, see this photo for an example. (San Marcos Pass, 2 April 2022)
Here is a handsome American Lady (Vanessa virginensis) butterfly taking moisture and minerals on my leg! I've been seeing the caterpillars on Everlasting and Cudweed plants, see this photo from several weeks ago. This butterfly resembles a Painted Lady (V. cardui) above, but it only has two large eyespots on its hindwing below rather than four or five like our other Lady butterflies. (San Marcos Pass, 31 August 2023)
This is a gorgeous little spider on a dead seedhead of native (but weedy) Telegraph Weed (Heterotheca grandiflora, Asteraceae). If you know the plant, you can see how tiny this spider is - the whole disk of the flower is about the size of a dime. The spider is tiny - just 925 pixels across in this 1:1 macro shot, which comes to 3.6 mm, about 1/8 inch. (See here for how I figured.) I only noticed it because I've been automatically checking the seedheads after finding this spider on a different plant - but this one has different markings from that Labyrinth Spider (genus Metepeira). This one does look like another Orb Web Weaver (Araneidae), though it seems to lack the "humps" of our usual tiny species Araneus bispinosus and Araneus montereyensis - see this photo. I don't know what it is, but it sure is a handsome spider. (San Marcos Pass, 14 March 2018)
I believe this is a tiny Bowl and Doily Spider (Frontinella communis aka Frontinella pyramitela, Linyphiidae) hanging from the bottom of the "bowl" of its web, see this photo and this photo for the whole web. The actual spider is quite small, only about about 620 pixels in this 1:1 macro shot, which comes to 2.4 mm - almost 1/10 inch. (See here for how I figure.) These spiders don't sit in the bowl, but hang under it to grab their prey from below. This photo is actually looking through the webbing which explains its lack of clarity, see this photo for a clear shot taken from under the web. The prey is interesting too, I'm pretty sure it's a Barklouse (Psocoptera aka Psocodea) above the spider's head, compare this photo. I'm not sure what the other critter on the left is, maybe another one? Arachtober 28a. (San Marcos Pass, 28 October 2019)
Here is a gorgeous Green Lacewing (Chrysopidae, Neuroptera) on dead seed capsules of native White Sage (Salvia apiana, Lamiaceae) this morning. They have remarkable eyes, see this photo for a closer look. (San Marcos Pass, 14 August 2019)
It was warm today, in the low 90s. There was an annoying breeze from the ocean side of the mountains which helped cool things down this morning, though it kept everything in motion and made it hard to get my photos. We're under a NWS Heat Advisory through Thursday night, then it's expected to cool down for the weekend.
This is my entry for the Middle Earth Lego Olympics 2017. In the first round, we had to build something from a poem or a song.
I decided my for the Treebeards Song :
In the willow-meads of Tasarinan I walked in the Spring.
Ah! the sight and the smell of the Spring in Nantasarion!
And I said that was good.
I wandered in summer in the elm-woods of Ossiriand.
Ah! the light and the music in the Summer by the Seven Rivers of Ossir!
And I thought that was best.
To the beeches of Neldoreth I came in the Autumn.
Ah! the gold and the red and the sighing leaves in the
Autumn in Taur-na-neldor!
It was more than my desire.
To the pine trees upon the highland of Dorthonion
I climbed in the winter.
Ah! the wind and the whiteness and the black branches of Winter upon Orod-na-Thon!
My voice went up and sang in the sky.
And now all those lands lie under the wave
And I walk in Ambarona, in Tauremorna, in Aldalome,
In my own land in the country of Fangorn,
Where the roots are long,
And the years lie thicker than the leaves
in Tauremornalomee
Here is a link to the poem:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5m0Z-kkYHk
My build shows Treebeard, the leader of the Ents with Pippin and Merry on him.
I hope you like it, let me know ;)
Greetings KevFett2011
I found this small Western Lynx Spider (Oxyopes scalaris, Oxyopidae) on a flowering plant of native Wedge-leaved Horkelia (Horkelia cuneata, Rosaceae) in the woods today. Its heavily spined legs give it away as a Lynx Spider, related to the more familiar Green Lynx Spider in this photo, but this one is much smaller. I did get a good shot of the rest of the spider today, but this one is just right for . . . HBBBT! (San Marcos Pass, 25 June 2020)
Here is another shot of a tiny Crab Spider (Thomisidae) on a flower of native California Aster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia aka Lessingia filaginifolia, Asteraceae) in the woods today. This is the same spider as my [Previous] photo, and it might be the same spider I showed in this photo a few days ago - it's on a different flower in the same place. The spider is really tiny, about 550 pixels in this 1:1 macro shot, which comes to 2.2 mm - less than 1/10 inch. (See here for how I figure.) I usually figure that the yellow disk flowers in the center are 1/8 inch across, and they are indeed 830 pixels across which comes to 3.3 mm or 1/8 inch. By the same reckoning, the violet petals are about 1/4 inch long. I believe the spider is another genus Mecaphesa with that hairy abdomen, and I'm not sure if it's a juvenile or maybe it just is that size. Arachtober 28b. (San Marcos Pass, 28 October 2019)
This is another photo of the chrysalis I found on a shrub of native Bitter Gooseberry (Ribes amarum, Grossulariaceae) by the creek. See this photo and this one. I first thought it might be a Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia), but it's probably another Variable Checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona) butterfly. It's strange and beautiful. You can see the butterfly's future antennae and proboscis etched onto the front. (San Marcos Pass, 2 June 2015)
I wonder what the bump is on the screen-left bottom?
This is a handsome Gabb's Checkerspot (Chlosyne gabbii) butterfly perched for a moment on new leaves of Sawtooth Goldenbush (Hazardia squarrosa, Asteraceae). I'm sure this one is newly emerged - it's the first one I've seen this year, and it's so darn pretty! These butterflies are quite variable, compare this photo from last year. (San Marcos Pass, 21 April 2019)
Today started under clouds, but it cleared up early and was quite pleasant with temps in the mid-60s. There was little breeze in the morning, but it's been picking up as the day went on. Now there's a NWS Wind Advisory for Sundowner Winds on the coast tonight.
Here are a pair of tiny mating flies on a leaflet of Wild Sweetpea (Lathyrus vestitus, Fabaceae) in the woods today. I believe they are Non-biting Midge Flies (Chironomidae, Diptera). This is real sexual dimorphism, meaning that males and females look totally different, see this photo for another example with crab spiders. It's almost Wednesday, so Happy Hump Day! (San Marcos Pass, 18 January 2022)
I found a different well-camouflaged "looper caterpillar" of a Geometrid Moth (Geometridae, Lepidoptera) pretending to be a stick today. It's on a stem of native Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum, Rosaceae), and I'm sure I only noticed it because I got this photo of a similar caterpillar yesterday. That's its tail on the left with two pairs of prolegs and its head on top with three pairs of true legs that are barely visible. It's interesting that it has little protuberances coming out from its body that are like the "pegs" that the needle-like leaves of chamise come from. This caterpillar is not small, it's at least an inch long. I don't believe I've seen one of these before, and I don't know what kind of moth it will become. (San Marcos Pass, 14 May 2019)
We were right on the edge of the marine layer today. The fog would spill over the mountains propelled by "fog winds" - and then back off for a moment of calm. We now have "rain likely" Wednesday night and Thursday, and it sounds like this might be a real storm with an inch or more of rain in the mountains. There's more info in the new post at the California Weather Blog with the title "Highly unusual sequence of winter-like storms headed for California (in late May!)"