Solar-powered

Air temperatures in Bodega Bay reached ~56°F (~13°C) this afternoon.  After a week of rain, it seemed like a lot of insects were taking advantage of the sun today:

 

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

 

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

 

Variegated Meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum)

 

Unidentified fly (Let me know if you recognize it!)

ADDENDUM (12 February 2017): One of the suggestions I received about the fly in this post was that it could be a hover fly.  I did a quick image search, and noticed a similar-looking hover fly here.  I don't think it's the same species (based on the abdominal patterning), but it's very close, and I think it's likely the fly in the picture above is in the same family (Syrphidae).

Then I skimmed some information about syrphid flies, and learned that sometimes they eat aphids.  In the field I had noticed that these flies were spending a lot of time around the tips of the Monterey Cypress.  I wondered about what they were doing there (i.e., what was attracting them to those sites).  Well, I went back and reviewed my photos and it looks like there might be tiny aphids on the cypress tips!  Check it out — and note the arrow pointing to one of the possible aphids:

 

Early morning frost & midday sun

The weather has been quite variable this past week.  On Sunday, 8 April 2012, the early morning air temperature was cold enough to produce frost:

 

California Blackberry (Rubus ursinus)

In contrast, on Monday, 9 April 2012, it was warmer (up to 65°F) and fairly still, producing good conditions for insects including this dragonfly that was basking in the midday sun:

 

 Cardinal Meadowhawk (Sympetrum illotum)

Cardinal Meadowhawks are ~3-4 cm long, with a wing span of 5-6 cm.  The mature male is bright red, hence the common name.  The individual above is a female, based on the golden brown color and the broad abdomen.

Note the amber wash along the leading edges of the wings and at the bases of the wings (near the body). Importantly (for field identification), there are also dark brown/black streaks at the bases of the wings (see blue circle below).

Cardinal Meadowhawks have a broad latitudinal range (southern Canada to Argentina) and are found at a variety of wetlands, e.g., ponds, lakes, marshes, streams, and rivers.  They are one of the first dragonflies to appear in the spring, and are generally on the wing from March to October in this area.  I don't know if they breed on Bodega Head.  If not, perhaps this individual wandered over from Salmon Creek?