I went snorkeling in Tomales Bay seeking this slug ... and I found it! So awesome.
There is an observation of a flower in bloom at this location a month ago here.
These are about 6" tall, growing in deep shade in a patch of Sedum on a sheer cliff. Owing to this position about 15' from the ground I couldn't get any closer.
There is a BugGuide observation of this species from the same creek (Mill Creek, Healdsburg, CA) here.
There is a BugGuide observation of this species from the same creek (Mill Creek, Healdsburg, CA) here.
On burned Monterey pine on Chalk Hill Rd. Two or three males and one female present. Observation of one the males: 75620774.
General range map of various Timema species in CA can be found here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/50852#range
Timema poppense BugGuide info page: https://bugguide.net/node/view/795960
Timema terminalia: Reference figures for all 21 described species - Timema: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1515370
On host plant, manzanita.
Surprised to find this species this far north, no BugGuide records north of Marin Co. and most of the iNat observations in Sonoma Co. and North Coast are probably actually T. poppense. Some range maps don't include the North Bay or North Coast.
Not sure of tree species, maybe CA bay. Very old and rotted.
On bottom of rock in tide pool. Quite small.
@jeffgoddard, @hfb, @phelsumas4life - can any of you provide any assistance on this one?
Small embryos. Found on underside of a rock in a slow area in a perennial creek.
Numerous on underside of rock in perennial creek. Found in pockets/pits of volcanic rock.
Water Mites of North America - Superfamily Lebertioidea Photo Library
Not firm on this; it wasn't keyed out. Similar to this one from boldsystems.org.
Pretty small. Taken through a 10x lens.
Found in the water at the edge of a reservoir. Sitting on rock at the bottom, not attached. I'm assuming these are probably eggs of some kind, but can't find anything similar. There is a similar observation from @seanp here. His was found in an ephemeral puddle. There is something that looks like an opened seed at one end of the strand on both observations.
This has got to be one of the most interesting sea creature I've ever seen.
On base of charred tree, believed to be alder. Several other jellyish fan-like structures and blobs nearby (last pic). Unsure if those are same species.
Saw thousands of water boatmen today. Two of them were red. Photos are of one individual.
Very small, maybe 7-8 mm. Appears to be Paratettix. ID to species based on large distance between eyes.
Hopping around on surface of water. Rocky river banks with patchy areas of sand.
The creek is dry in spots with intermittent pools and riffles. It is drier than normal for this time of year. Water levels have been dropping quickly over the past month due to record heat and several heat spells. Shaded creek with dappled light and dense overstory comprised of alders. Shrimp were most abundant under and near submerged logs in relatively deep pools with cut banks that have overhanging vegetation (ferns, stinging nettle, Stachys, and Rubus, among others) and roots. Over five miles upstream from where the mouth of the creek empties into the Pacific Ocean.
Associating with this ant species: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/58815965.
On coyote bush (Baccharis pilularis).
The lateral carinae are long and terminate very close to the hood. Height of the hood is tall. See discussion here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4110532.
As far as I am aware this is the first ever record of O. rubrovenosa in Sonoma County.
Found inside of several Cryptoporus volvatus conks (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/56287389) on a fallen pine in coniferous forest dominated by Douglas fir.
2 mm in length
Plesiocis cribrum Casey
Geographic range.-Northern and montane regions of North America from British Columbia to the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec, south to the Laguna Mountains in California, the edge of the Colorado Plateau in Arizona and New Mexico, the Great Lakes Region, and the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia (map 12).
California records.-Throughout most of the Boreal Zone areas of the state, from coastal and foothill Transition Zone situations to above 7,000 feet in the central Sierra Nevada and above 8,000 feet in southern California.
Host fungi.-Polyporus volvatus [Cryptoporus volvatus]; Polyporus anceps'; Polyporus alboluteus.
Discussion.-This species is characterized by the robust form, 9-segmented antennae, dentate protibial apex, coarse, dense, and confused punctation, and vestiture of short bristles. The male has 4 sharp teeth on the frontoclypeal ridge and 2 weak protuberances on the apex of the pronoturn. Cis vitulus may be confused with P. mibrum on the basis of size, general form, and the sexual modifications, but individuals of the former are distinguished by the 10-segmented antennae, finer punctation, especially on the pronotum, broader lateral pronotal margins, and lack of an abdominal fovea in the male. In Dolichocis manitoba the antennae are 9-segmented and the punctation is similar, but that species differs in the more elongate form, rounded protibial apices, and modifications of the head in the male.
Plesiocis cribrum is very common throughout western North America wherever conifers occur and is also known from the northeastern states. Although the preferred host is Polyporus volvatus, the species also breeds in Polyporus anceps-the two fungi often grow together on dead conifer logs.
(The above is from THE CIID BEETLES OF CALIFORNIA - BULLETIN OF THE CALIFORNIA INSECT SURVEY - VOLUME 17 - JOHN F. LAWRENCE [1974] [https://essig.berkeley.edu/documents/cis/cis17.pdf])
Photos - https://www.zoology.ubc.ca/entomology/main/Coleoptera/Ciidae/Plesiocis.php
Rare bird for Sonoma County.