Looking out

Below is a close-up mystery photo for you.  I know it might be challenging, but it's always fun to have a chance to wonder.  Can you guess what structures these are, or what type of organism it is?

 

If you're ready for another clue (or part of the answer), here's a photo showing a larger view:

 

The red mound-like structures in the first photo are compound eyes.  The eyes are located on the radioles (feeding tentacles) of the tube worm, Pseudopotamilla socialis.

July 1st is International Polychaete Day, so it seemed appropriate to highlight these amazing polychaete eyes!  (Polychaetes are segmented worms.)

Here's another view of the radioles of Pseudopotamilla showing the compound eyes:

 

The radioles form a fan or crown just outside of the worm's tube.  The radiolar crown is used for feeding (capturing food particles from the water) and respiration.  Because the compound eyes are found on the radioles, they're called radiolar eyes.

The eyes might serve primarily to detect shadows, so the worm can withdraw quickly into its tube (see below) when a predator (e.g., a fish) passes over.  It's also possible the eyes are involved in more complex visual processing, but further studies are needed.

 

Pseudopotamilla socialis lives in the low intertidal zone along our shores.  It's relatively small, but if you're looking very closely, you might catch a glimpse of its wonderful fan-like radiolar crown.  And if you see the crown pull back in, you'll know that it's possible that the radiolar eyes detected your presence!

Happy International Polychaete Day!

 

P.S.  Many thanks to Leslie Harris for confirming our identification.

 

Little sphere

 

Eric's summer students found a few intriguing isopods in the rocky intertidal zone this morning.  This one rolled up into a tight little sphere.  You can see its compound eyes and orange antennules at the top, and the last abdominal appendages — a broad pleotelson and a pair of uropods (made up of 4 curved appendages — 2 exopods and 2 endopods) at the bottom.  We believe this is a species of Gnorisphaeroma in the Sphaeromatidae family.  "Sphaero" means ball or sphere — a wonderful reference to this shape!

A fine line

 

 

It's hard for me to resist posting pictures of ribbon worms.  This is a close-up of a Six-lined Ribbon Worm (Tubulanus sexlineatus).  Here's the entire animal:

 

Photographed in the low intertidal zone on 16 June 2018.

P.S.  For more photos of this species, check out the post called "All lined up" on 20 March 2015.

 

No doubt

 

Woolly-headed Spineflower (Chorizanthe cuspidata var. villosa).  This is an extreme close-up.  In life, the flowers are quite small, only a few millimeters across.  Photographed in the Bodega Dunes on 28 May 2018. 

Sometimes a name just fits — there's no doubt that this flower is both woolly and spiny!

 

Two of eight

 

Two of eight Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) resting in Bodega Harbor on 20 June 2018.

 

Down below

 

A few days ago we happened upon this little isopod crawling along a sandy beach.  

Below is another view in Eric's hand.  The isopod was ~15 mm (~0.5 inch) long.

 

Meet Alloniscus perconvexus!  [We've been calling this one "Allen" for short.  ;)]

This is a terrestrial isopod that lives on the uppermost part of the beach.  

Fun facts about Alloniscus:

• It's an air-breather.
• It's a burrower.  You might see its small mole-like burrows at the surface, but it can burrow 7.5-15 cm (3-6 inches) below the surface.
• It scavenges on beach wrack (seaweeds washed up at the high tide line) at night.
• Its pereopods (legs) are robust and adapted for burrowing:

 

This is the last view we had of Allen, burrowing head first beneath the sand: 

 

Since then I've been wondering about this little isopod's adventures.  What do you think Allen's been up to (or down to)?

At the station

When we stopped to get gas in Rohnert Park this morning, Eric noticed an interesting moth resting on the gas pump:

 

Here's the broader setting:

 

And a close-up of the moth:

 

Later, I first tried to identify the moth with an Internet search.  I lucked out because it showed up in Google Images when I searched for something like, "california moth with gray and gold markings."  I was a little concerned that I didn't have the correct species at first, because most of the images were from Europe.  But I checked the identification on the Moth Photographers Group and Butterflies and Moths of North America web sites and it looked like a match.

Hecatera dysodea has been documented in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, but it's a fairly recent introduction to this part of the U.S. (first documented in Oregon in 2003). It appears that there are at least a couple of California records (with one in 2015), but I'm not sure how common it is in California at this time.

This individual eventually flew off onto a nearby leaf, so here's a photo for the record from Cotati, CA, on 24 June 2018:

 

P.S.  In the caterpillar stage, Hecatera dysodea eats lettuces (e.g., Lactuca spp.), so it makes sense that it would show up in agricultural or perhaps urban settings. 

P.P.S.  I'm glad I found photographs of this species on the Internet.  It wasn't included in the Moths of Western North America (Powell and Opler 2009), so it would have been challenging to identify with that book alone.

Driftwood pool

 

21 June 2018

(You can click on the image for a larger version.)

 

Solstice, silk, and light

Last year I took a series of close-up photographs of spider webs.  Since the first images were around last year's summer solstice, I tried again this year.  Ta da!  Happy Solstice!

P.S.  For an example of last year's spider web series, check out "Game of threads" from 17 July 2017, or search "spider silk" in the search box at the very bottom of the blog web page.

 

Overlapping

 

Scales on the underside of an alligator lizard's tail.  Aren't they beautiful?

 

Triceratops with sunglasses?

 

Eric noticed this interesting moth on our screen tonight.  When I looked at it from below, I was somewhat surprised to see the dramatic flare behind the head — it reminded me of the dinosaur Triceratops!

Here's another head-on view, this time from farther away:

 

I'm not sure which species this is yet, but the markings on the wings seem pretty distinctive.  Below is a side view:

 

The larger bright white marking reminded me of a pair of sunglasses.  :)

Here's one more close-up.  I hope to have time to try to figure out the identification tomorrow.  If you're familiar with this species, let me know!

 

ADDENDUM (20 June 2018): I did a quick Internet search and I believe this is a Bilobed Looper Moth (Megalographa biloba).  I searched via Google Images with a phrase like, "california moth with white sunglass marking on wing"...and it turned up immediately!  Hard to believe that actually worked!

Under a rock

 

Recently, Eric turned over a low intertidal cobble and noticed this interesting isopod.  It didn't seem like a familiar species, so we took a closer look.

[Isopods are crustaceans that are somewhat shrimp-like, but they are flattened dorso-ventrally, i.e., from top-to-bottom.  You might be familiar with terrestrial isopods found under woodland logs, also known as "pill bugs" or "roly-polies."]

This isopod had beautiful stripes and subtle speckling along its back:

 

Also noticeable were the white segments near the outer tips of the antennae:

 

And here's a close-up of the telson, the last abdominal segment:

 

When identifying marine isopods, the shape of the telson can be an important character.

For example, review illustrations of different species of local isopods (below).  Look at the shapes of the telsons — the tip of the telson is especially useful, e.g., how pointed it is, the angle of the edges to either side of the point, and whether the corners are rounded or squared.  Then compare the telson shapes below to the photo above.  Which species is the best match? 

Isopods of the Bodega Bay region belonging to the Family Idoteidae: (A) Pentidotea wosnesenskii, (B) Pentidotea stenops, (C) Pentidotea resecata, (D) Pentidotea aculeata, (E) Idotea urotoma.  Figure modified from the Light & Smith Manual (2007).

Did you pick Isopod E?  Yes!   We've observed the other four species previously,  but this is the first time we've documented Idotea urotoma on Bodega Head.

 

P.S.  Nice spotting, Eric!

Little one

 

A very small Red Octopus (Octopus rubescens) nestled in a mussel shell on 16 June 2018.

Polyps or pancakes?

 

Which would you prefer for breakfast, polyps or pancakes?  :)

This morning (15 June 2018), Hilton's Aeolid (Phidiana hiltoni) chose polyps of the hydroid, Plumularia.

For a little more information about this nudibranch, see "A new home for Hilton's" on 29 November 2015.

 

Spiny and groovy

 

Close-up of a very spiny Ochre Sea Star (Pisaster ochraceus).  The rounded white spines (or tubercles) are calcareous projections of the sea star's internal skeleton.

 

Close-up of the madreporite (or sieve plate) of an Ochre Sea Star (Pisaster ochraceus).  [I introduced madreporites back in 2013, so if you're interested in reviewing that post, check out "Take five" from 7 May 2013.]

Catching some Al-air-ia

 

Inspired by Andy Goldsworthy?  

We noticed a very long Winged Kelp (Alaria marginata) blade on the beach tonight.  Eric pulled it into the air so I could try to document how long it was.  I liked how it rippled and flowed while airborne, and there was nice light along different parts of the blade.

Every time he pulled it into the air, the shape and effect was different:

 

For the record, this blade was a little over 4.5 meters (15 feet) long.  According to the Marine Algae of California, most Alaria blades are 2.5-4 meters (8-13 feet) long, but they can reach lengths up to 6 meters (19.5 feet)!

 

A cluster of flowers

 

California Phacelia (Phacelia californica)

The genus, Phacelia, means "bundle" or "cluster," in reference to the densely-packed flowers.

On the lake

I spent a lot of the weekend watching my niece row in the Youth National Championships in Gold River, CA.  Not much time for nature photography, but I took a quick picture of a Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) swooping along the surface of Lake Natoma:

 

For a slightly better view of a Cliff Swallow, here's an older picture of a nesting colony near Cape Mendocino last year:

 

  

P.S.  Way to go, Deerfield Crew!

P.P.S.  Before the races started, there was a wonderful view of a Bald Eagle catching a fish at one end of the lake.  It was a little too distant for my lens, but you can still see the size of the fish (Is that a Rainbow Trout?):

 

Celebrating the oceans

To help celebrate World Oceans Day (on 8 June 2018):

 

Common dolphin (Delphinus sp.) 

 

 

Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis)

Both photographed at Cordell Bank (in 2014 and 2015, respectively).

 

Riveting

A few days ago Eric sat down on the steps to put on his sneakers when he noticed a small moth nearby.  He called me over, but the moth flew off around the corner.  Luckily, it landed not too far away.

 

Meet the Wedgling (Galgula partita)!  

I was drawn to the beautiful rose blush in the middle of the wings, and the interesting patterns created by the silvery scales.  The continuous row of smaller spots running across the wings reminded me of rivets (similar to those on an airplane wing).

The caterpillar stage of the Wedgling feeds on wood sorrels (Oxalis spp.)

Hanging in the balance?

Last week, after finishing field work in the rocky intertidal zone, Eric looked up to see something odd.  There was something hanging vertically from the corner of a boulder:

 

Huh.  We both wondered what it was, so we moved closer for a better view:

 

Weird!  Now we could see that it was a stack of small limpets hanging down below the rock.  Neither of us could recall seeing something like that before. 

So I had lots of questions.  How did they end up in that position?  Did they just start "stacking down," with one limpet moving down and then another one moving down a little lower and so on?  Why would they do that (i.e., leave the solid rock and move into what seems like a tenuous position)?  When there is high density of limpets, and it's hot, do the limpets crowd into the shaded overhang, where some limpets are forced to crawl onto each other (below the tip of the rock)?

Is there only one limpet holding on at the top?  Can they crawl back up to the rock?  (Or is there a risk of upsetting the balance and dislodging the entire stack?)  When the incoming tide/waves splash the hanging limpets, how will they respond?

We'll never know the answers, but it was an intriguing way to end the morning.

Have you ever seen a limpet stack like this?

P.S.  We didn't have much time, so I'm not sure of the limpet species, but it appears to be Lottia digitalis or Lottia paradigitalis, or a combination of the two.

Irresistible

Another flower close-up, just for you!

 

Hairy Star Tulip or Tolmie's Star Tulip (Calochortus tolmei), photographed 1 June 2018.

For some more information about this lily, review the posts from 2015:

"Is it a cat, a tulip, a grass, or a lily?" — 19 April 2015

"Lurker in the lily" — 20 April 2015

Flower party

 

A couple of days ago, we stopped very briefly to look at some beautiful Pacific Rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum) flowers at the Kruse Rhododendron State Natural Reserve.

When I was reviewing the photos, I was intrigued by the anthers (the male parts that produce pollen).  Up close, it looks like each anther has little "googly eyes."  It made me laugh because I imagined there was a little party going on, with everyone gathered at the center of the flower (not such a bad place for a party!).  Check it out:

 

Nearing the end of the tale

A quick follow-up to the "Spring transition" post on 22 May 2018:

 

A Sierran Treefrog (Pseudacris sierra) that's transitioning — the little froglet has fully developed limbs, but it has yet to resorb its tail.

It was sitting under water in a shallow pool along the coast in northern Sonoma County on 1 June 2018.