Monday, November 2, 2015

Reptiles

Common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)

The above color variety sometimes called red-spotted garter snake

The one below is much less colorful. Two of these were trying to hide in the veggie garden, hopefully eating slugs.

This one was stretched out sunning itself on a woodland path and did not move when I stepped over it.



Northwestern Garter Snake  ...Thamnophis ordinoides





Elgaria coerulea principis  Northwestern Alligator Lizard



 


 





and this one was on our stairs in the house!




This juvenile missing part of its tail had fallen (or been dropped) into a bucket



Western Pond Turtle


 

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Invertebrates other than Insects


 Mollusks: Gastropods (snails and slugs)


Pacific Sideband Snail... Monadenia fidelis



Oregon Forestsnail...

The Oregon Forestsnail (all one word) , Allogona townsendiana,
 

The Oregon Forestsnail, a mollusk, is partial to Bigleaf Maple areas and nettles. We have plenty of both in our woods and lots of these snails. They are a species at risk in Canada due to habitat fragmentation.




Another mollusk, Ariolimax columbianus, Banana Slug, is common in our woods.



Banana Slug, Ariolimax columbianus














These small snails are numerous in Agency Creek on our property.



 These tiny red aquatic creatures are copepods, a crustacean. They appear in seasonal ponds and disappear when the ponds dry up. They become numerous in our seasonal horse pasture pond.


A larger crustacean lives in our creek... crawfish/crawdaddy/crayfish... and more names...






 Spiders are arachnids, another non-insect invertebrate. There were lots of these little black spiders running around the top of the water and the mud next to it on our seasonal pond on March 24. BugGuide.net says they are some species of Wolf Spider, Pardosa genus. My photo is too poor to tell anything closer.

Thin-legged Wolf Spider, Pardosa sp.

Lots of these Flower Spiders on flowers in the garden and fields.

Goldenrod Crab Spider, Misumena vitia




 Colorful woodland web spider - Araneus nordmanni
Araneus nordmanni
Orb Spider
The Black and Yellow Garden Spider is big and beautiful

Black and Yellow Garden Spider... Argiope aurantia









Diplopods (Millipedes)







Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Fish and Amphibians

Coastal Giant Salamander,  Dicamptodon tenebrosus


 

 crossing our dam on 4/30/22. Tail probably chopped off fighting with another
 

 Pacific Giant Salamander



  Northwestern Salamander, Ambystoma gracile


When threatened, a NW Salamander will lift its back up and tip its snout down to present its poison glands, as this one is doing. It was in the aisle of the buck barn in late December.

Western Red-backed Salamander






  Rough-skinned Newt, Taricha granulosa




Rough-skinned Newt, crossing the dam. They are common in our pond.

 Pacific Treefrog, Hyla regilla

Pacific Treefrog mating in our seasonal pond

 

 Speckled dace, Rhinychthys osculus

These have been identified as Speckled Dace, a native minnow. They were in Agency Creek

 

 

The fish below were in our pond January 2012. Fish experts tell me they are native Coastal Cutthroat Trout. They were exhibiting spawning behavior but would need to spawn in a gravel bed, not a mud-bottom pond. 

 



Sunday, March 22, 2015

Insects






Odonates (dragonflies and damselflies)

Shadow Darner (Aeshna umbrosa)
 Meadowhawk Dragonfly - Sympetrum illotum
Libellula saturata     Flame Skimmer



Bees and Flies





Bombus sp. probably B.  caliginosus or vosnesenskii (Yellow-faced Bumble Bee)





Bombus mixtus (Fuzzy-horned bumble bee)
female Bombus vosnesenskii (Yellow-faced bumble bee)



Honey Bee Apis mellifera







Hoverflies  (Flower Flies)   Syrphidae




Toxomerus occidentalis a species of flower fly









Eupeodes volucris, Bird Hover Fly

Tricoptera: Caddisflies

greenhouse bug on bark - Limnephilus
Limnephilus sp.



Lepidoptera: Butterflies and Moths





Lorquin's Admiral - Limenitis lorquini

Lorquin's Admiral





Papilio rutulus - Western Tiger Swallowtail




Papilio eurymedon - Pale Swallowtail


Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta


Red Admiral

Red Admiral



Erynnis propertius -  Propertius Duskywing

Mylitta Crescent  -  Phyciodes mylitta









Vanessa cardui Painted Lady
Euphydryas chalcedona wallacensis    Snowberry Checkerspot



Satyr Comma           Polygonia satyrus




Ochlodes sylvanoides Woodland Skipper



http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/thumb_for_pending_sightings/voucher_images/arboretum_moth_2.jpg
Common Wood Nymph...
Cercyonis pegala

Mylitta Crescent... Phyciodes mylitta

Mylitta Crescent... Phyciodes mylitta


Celastrina echo  Echo Azure 

Celastrina echo    Echo Azure





  Aglais milberti   Milbert's Tortoiseshell
                                          


Nymphalis californica - California Tortoiseshell

Echo Azure   -- Celastrina echo










Moths

Gnophaela vermiculata, Bluebell Tiger Moth






Caenurgina crassiuscula Clover Looper Moth



Catocala sp.     Underwing

Tissue Moth  Triphosa haesitata


                                                                        Sulphur Angle
                                                                   Speranza sulphurea
                 
                                  


ventral view



Noctua pronuba  European Yellow Underwing




Deceptive Sallow  Feralia deceptiva


                                            Ctenucha rubroscapus
                                         Red-Shouldered Ctenucha



Syngrapha rectangula    Salt and Pepper Looper


Cinnabar Moth  Tyria jacobaeae
Forest Tent Caterpillar    Malacosoma disstria




Mantidie
                                    Mantis religiosus, Praying Mantis







Beetles (Coleoptera)

Diurnal Firefly  Ellychnia sp.





Multicolored Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis)

True Bugs (Heteroptera)



A Largus sp. nymph  The adults are the ones we saw hooked together mating in our garden all spring (2016).


Apparently, the little red bugs are just younger versions of the big blue-green iridescent ones, according to BugGuide.net.
The ones below were on a stump in our woods in July.


Gerridae (water striders) are also true bugs


Berytidae (Stilt Bugs), true bugs

A Berytidae nymph on my Butterwort (carnivorous plant)
True Bugs (Heteroptera) » Pentatomomorpha » Leatherbugs (Coreoidea) » Scentless Plant Bugs (Rhopalidae) » Soapberry Bugs (Serinethinae) » Boisea » Western Boxelder Bug (Boisea rubrolineata)

Western Boxelder Bug, Boisea rubrolineata




Pentatomidae (Stink Bugs), another true bug


http://bugguide.net/images/cache/L0P/000/L0P000203Q0Q1RRQ9RRQ9RRQ1RLQURX0CQJKURX0TQX03QYKCQX0R090L0W0K020Z0IQJRN0Q0E0TR200020Z0M0DQM0.jpg
Euschistus conspersus
Kingdom Animalia (Animals) Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods) Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods) Class Insecta (Insects) Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies) Suborder Heteroptera (True Bugs) Infraorder Pentatomomorpha Superfamily Pentatomoidea Family Pentatomidae (Stink Bugs) Subfamily Pentatominae Tribe Carpocorini Genus & species
Euschistus conspersus
 

Grasshoppers and Crickets: Orthoptera

Melanoplus femurrubrum;Red-legged Grasshopper