jwparker2's Journal

The links from previous post can be reached here:

https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/thumbwave

Craig's List of helpful links
A Beginner's Filed Guide to Identifying Bees

An annotated checklist of the bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) of San Diego County, California

Exotic Bee ID

Bees! Diversity, Evolution, Conservation

Identification Atlas of the Vespidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata) of the northeastern Nearctic region

Field/Photo ID for Flies

Exporting Observations from iNat
Posted on April 22, 2024 07:43 PM by thumbwave thumbwave

My own difficulty in identifying specific Melilotus species was greatly assisted by csledge, an iNaturalist I have never met. She identified an observation I had posted, including an exhaustive botanical reference list that is amazingly handy!

Here's her ist of online resources as a starting place for identifying MN and N. American species: https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/csledge/55746-a-list-of-online-resources

Many thanks csledge!

Dactylopius
Cochineal Scale Bugs
Genus Dactylopius

Dactylopius coccus is not recorded in the US. There are four species of Dactylopius in California and they will typically need to be slide-mounted for species-level ID. True cochineal has a light dusting of wax and the female bodies are visible:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/71893623

• erincpow disagrees this is True Cochineal Bug Dactylopius coccus

I should have known this...

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/75623580#activity_comment_f31ddd0e-ae03-442f-ae42-c0815a3cab26

Also, with thistles, their relatives, and Asteraceae as a whole, please try to get a good photo of the phyllaries (which you can do with a side-view of the flower head)! The phyllaries are often one of the best features for ID.

These iNat folks are known as "efmer". They are a MOST EXCELLENT resource for flora of Anza-Borrego Desert.

Fred Melgert / Carla Hoegen
Joined: Jan 20, 2018 Last Active: Jul 24, 2020 Monthly Supporter since October 2019

Projects:

2017-now: Creating a voucher-based list of plants that occur in the San Felipe Valley region (San Felipe Wildlife Preserve).

2008-now: Making the best flower guide / plant list of the Anza-Borrego Desert and surrounding area.

2010-2019: Field work to map the range of the recently discovers Malacothamnus enigmaticus.

Our seasonal bloom report:
https://borregowildflowers.org/pages/blooming.html

Android and iOS flower app of the Anza Borrego Desert and surrounding areas.
https://borregowildflowers.org/pages/ios_app.html
https://borregowildflowers.org/pages/android_app.html

Flower (id) site:
https://borregowildflowers.org

Hiking site with detailed info and GPS.
https://borregohiking.com/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BorregoWildflowers

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/anza_borrego_wildflowers/

Fascinating discussion on complexities of identification.
San Diego Wirelettuce (Stephanomeria diegensis) from Flintkote Drive, Sorrento Valley, CA on December 02, 2015 at 12:54 PM by Jay L. Keller · iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/2446794

ALWAYS something new!

This morning I read the following FASCINATING article from a friend of mine:
https://missiontimescourier.com/the-invasive-italian-white-snail/

I then went out to the park, photographed and posted an iNat obeservation of same.

I was quickly reminded (again) that there were MANY iNaturalists with far greater expertise than I have....

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/52944752#activity_identification_116880130

And of course comes THIS little biological tidbit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_dart

Scientific name
Centaurea melitensis
Additional name information:

L.

Common name
tocolote, Maltese star thistle, Napa star thistle, Malta starthistle

Tocolote was brought to California during the Spanish mission period. The earliest record of its occurrence was seed found in adobe bricks of a building constructed in 1797 in San Fernando (Hendry 1931). It appears to have been a contaminant in wheat, barley, and oat seed and was widely distributed in dry-farmed grain fields. In one instance its seed was found embedded in an oat floret (Stanton and Boerner 1936). Seed is transported by humans, animals, or wind, similar to starthistle (Gerlach unpubl. data).

In the past I have received more than one spanking for misidentification of species. As of my last post of a Dasymutilla observation, I was able to ask an expert the following:
"What is the visual difference between aureola and magnifica?"
Many thanks to Kevin Williams, CURATOR.

Dasymutilla magnifica has a black head and thorax. It's hard to separate from D. klugii, and those are usually separated by distribution (D. magnifica mostly in California and Arizona hot deserts; D. klugii mostly in New Mexico and Texas).
Dasymutilla aureola is a Pacific species with a short thorax, thick head, and uniform white to red setae on the head, thorax, and abdomen.
Kevin

• as well, there are MANY excellent and fascinating photos too be found on the following project:
  Mutillids of the World