Drifting north

  

While walking a beach near the Garðskagi lighthouses (near the village of Garður on the Reykjanes Peninsula), I looked down to see a cluster of Blue Buoy Barnacles (Dosima fascicularis) in the wrack line.

Although we knew there were previous records of this species in Iceland, it felt a little surprising to see them.  Most of the records for this pelagic barnacle are from further south.  In California, we found these barnacles in Sonoma County during the warm-water events in 2014-2016 (e.g., see "Blue buoys!" on 31 August 2014).

Here's a close-up where you can see the thin, transparent plates.  You can also see the white foam-like float that the barnacles make to stay afloat at the surface of the ocean (upper left corner of the image).

 

 

 

And Eric took this beautiful photo of the cluster floating in the water next to the beach so you can envision them in their natural habitat.  [You can also see a piece of rockweed (Fucus sp.) at the lower right corner of the barnacle cluster (look for the orange color).  The barnacles might have attached to this piece of seaweed initially and then created their float around it.]

 

 

 

Fun to find this offshore barnacle at 64° North!

Butterfl-eyes?

  

Close-up of the large eye spots on the forewing of a Common Wood-Nymph butterfly (Cercyonis pegala). 

Here's the entire butterfly, perched among grasses:

 

 

Interestingly, I've observed Common Wood-Nymphs in grasslands closer to Highway 1 near the Bodega Bay Community Center, which is only about 2 miles away as the butterfly flies (if the butterfly flies in a fairly straight line).  But I don't think I've seen one on Bodega Head yet.  The photo above is from the Salt Point area.

 

Wandering by

  

If you've been at the coast recently, you might have encountered these dragonflies zipping around, sometimes in large numbers.  Wandering Gliders (Pantala flavescens) sometimes appear in our area during late summer, especially with passing weather fronts. 

They're impressive fliers, but it's harder to spot them perched on vegetation.  This morning we found lots of them roosting in a grassland, and after many attempts we were able to get close enough to one of them for a few photos.

Note the beautiful golden abdomen and the very broad wings. 

 

 

 

 

 

You can also see Spot-winger Gliders (Pantala hymenaea) in our area.  In fact, in my experience Spot-winged Gliders are usually more common than Wandering Gliders in Bodega Bay.  But something's different this year and Wandering Gliders appear to be more common at this time.  (To compare the two species, click here.)

Among the mint flowers

  

Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), laying eggs among mint flowers in our garden, 2 August 2026. 

Sky blue

  

Walking over to the farmers market this morning, I caught a glimpse of a dragonfly exploring the sun-exposed branches of a willow tree.  It disappeared, but when I turned the corner I started scanning up high, looking for potential sites where it could have landed.  I was about to give up, when my eyes caught the blue of the darner's eyes.

Blue-eyed Darner (Rhionaeschna multicolor) in Sebastopol on 17 May 2026. 

Blue on blue

  

Eric and I have been busy with lots of early morning field work recently.  As we were walking on a beach in Marin County this morning, I looked down to see a Blue Buoy Barnacle (Dosima fascicularis) attached to a By-the-wind Sailor (Velella velella).

Blue Buoy Barnacles are pelagic (offshore) barnacles that float at the surface of the ocean.  They are unusual in northern California and can be indicators of warm-water conditions, or water that's normally farther offshore coming closer to the coast.  I'll have to check my notes, but I think the last time we saw one in our area was ~10 years ago (back in 2016).

With the high numbers of Velella washing ashore at this time, the chances of finding Dosima are greater as this barnacle often attaches to Velella floats. 

We're interested in other observations of Blue Buoy Barnacles in northern California, so keep your eyes open and if you happen to come across one, I'd love to hear about it! 

P.S.  For an introduction to Blue Buoy Barnacles, see the post called "Blue buoys!" on 31 August 2014.  And more information (and a great video!) can be found in the post called "Driftin' blues" on 23 September 2014. 

Shiny and new

  

The beautiful wings of a California Darner (Rionaeschna californica).  Note how shiny and new they look.  [You can click on the image for a larger version.]  I could see this darner's wings glittering in the sun as it flew across a grassland.  When it landed nearby, I leaned in for a closer view.  Because the wings are so fresh, it's likely this individual metamorphosed recently.  Once a dragonfly has been flying for a while, the wings lose their shine and can show nicks and other impacts.

One Mourning in March

More warm air temperatures = more butterfly sightings.  Today (8 March 2026) I was in Cotati and came across a few Mourning Cloaks (Nymphalis antiopa), example above, and a couple of Pipevine Swallowtails (Battus philenor). 

Basking and nectaring

   

Air temperatures reached at least the high 60s in Bodega Bay today (7 March 2026).  I started seeing butterflies zipping by in the morning, so I went out after lunch for a short walk and took a few photos.

California Tortoiseshells (Nymphalis californica) were the most common butterflies I saw today (photo above), but I also noticed quite a few Margined Whites (Pieris marginalis) and at least one Western Pine Elfin (Incisalia eryphon).

Many of the tortoiseshells were nectaring on willow catkins:

 

 

West Coast from above and below

  

Air temperatures reached a balmy 65-70°F in Cotati yesterday (1 February 2026).  I took a quick look for butterflies in the afternoon.  Here's a West Coast Lady (Vanessa annabella) from above (above) and from below (below).  :)

 

 

Overhead

  

Nice to see a Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata) over our backyard this afternoon (8 June 2025). 

Intertidal volcano

  

Pink Volcano Barnacle (Tetraclita rubescens) on 31 May 2025.

 Thanks to Eric for another great barnacle photo! 

Thatched

  

Thatched Barnacle (Semibalanus cariosus) on 29 May 2025.

Thanks for the great photo, Eric!
 

High zone explorer

  

Last week, Eric snapped a great photo of Ligia occidentalis.  You can find this interesting isopod scurrying across rocks in the high intertidal zone.

Satyrs and dragons

  

 Satyr Anglewing (Polygonia satyrus)

 

 

 

Close-up of a California Darner (Rhionaeschna californica)

 

Both photos from Cotati on 4 May 2025

 

May beauty!

  

Wow!  When Claire started to ask me if I could help with a moth i.d. today (1 May 2025), I had no idea she would be taking me to see this beautiful Ceonothus Silkmoth (Hyalophora euryalus)!

Claire and Emma spotted this amazing moth while they were eating lunch.  It was cool at the coast today and the moth was very still, so we were able to get some nice photos.

Here's a close-up of her very fuzzy body, including the wonderful striped pattern on her abdomen:

 

 

 

Eric captured a nice view of the markings along the wing margins:

 

 

 

 

Zooming in, it just gets better:

 

 

 

 

And here's the apex of the forewing, with pretty rose-pink coloring and the oval spot with its little crescent moon:

 

 

 

 

You can even see the scales making up the oval spot:

 

 

 

Welcome to May!

 

With many thanks to Claire and Emma for spotting this beauty, and to Eric for most of the nice close-ups!

Cloaks, admirals, and angles +

  

It warmed up quite a bit in Cotati today — at one point our outdoor thermometer was reading ~80°F (~26°C).  Butterflies were definitely taking advantage of the sun. 

Above, a Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa).

Next, a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta):

 

 

And, a Satyr Anglewing (Polygonia satyrus):

 

 

Also, we checked on the Anna's Hummingbird fledgling.  Eric spotted it very high, about 50 feet up in a tree adjacent to the nest site.  Mom flew in a couple of times to feed the fledgling, but only about every 20 minutes (see below).  In between feeding visits from mom, the fledgling probed nearby buds and leaves and practiced short flights among the branches.

 

 

The female might feed the fledgling for 1-2 weeks after they've left the nest, but it will likely be harder for us to locate them as time goes on and they spend time farther from the nest site.