Spring Fishfly

Posted on June 30, 2023 by tspuckler

While hiking in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, I came across this cool insect. It can be found throughout much of eastern North America. Adults are generally found near the water that their aquatic larvae require and can be found in a variety of aquatic habitats, including ponds, swamps, marshes, and springs.

Fishflies are quite large, with a wingspan of 2-1/2 to 3 inches. Their wings are delicate and very long, much longer than their body. The wings are clear and tinted pale brown, with no dark or white markings apart from the veins. There are two large compound eyes on the sides of the head and three small simple eyes (ocelli) in a triangle on top of the head. The antennae are long, dark brownish-gray, and have many segments.

This is a primitive creature, having appeared on earth more than 260 million years ago. Fishflies, Alderflies and Dobsonflies belong to the insect order Megaloptera, which means “great wing.” Their entire lifespan is several years, but most of this time is spent in their immature aquatic state. They only live up to seven days as adults.

The larvae of both Dobsonflies and Fishflies are called Hellgrammites, and are, famously, sold to fishermen as bait. Hellgrammites are thick and somewhat flattened, dark brown and shiny, with an impressive head, six legs and seven or eight finger-like filaments along each side.

Fishflies lay their eggs upon vegetation overhanging streams, whereby the larvae, as soon as they hatch, drop into the water, and go about preying upon aquatic animals, including vertebrates like minnows and tadpoles, as well as aquatic plants.

These insects practice complete metamorphosis, hatching from eggs, living as aquatic larvae, resting and changing as pupae and emerging as adults. Like many of the insects that develop this way, their appearance, habitat and diet changes radically in their different life stages.

Adults are active at dusk but remain hidden during the day. The wings are held roof-like and to the side of the abdomen when at rest. They are relatively weak fliers. It was super cool to find one of these; there is also a later-emerging Summer Fishfly.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Greater Yellowlegs

Posted on June 23, 2023 by tspuckler

While visiting Point Reyes National Seashore in California, I noticed a couple of slender, long-necked, small-headed birds with bright yellow legs near the waterway that I was exploring.

Often referred to as a “Marshpiper” for its habit of wading in deeper water than other sandpipers, the Greater Yellowlegs is heftier and longer-billed than its look-alike, the Lesser Yellowlegs. At different times of the year, this bird can be found throughout the United States.

At ponds and tidal creeks, this trim and elegant wader draws attention to itself by bobbing its head and calling loudly when an observer approaches. These birds forage in shallow water, sometimes using their bills to stir up the water. They mainly eat insects and small fish, as well as crustaceans, marine worms, frogs, seeds and berries.

Yellowlegs have also been called “tattlers,” because they would raise a alarm when bird hunters were near. Although shorebirds are now protected from hunting, yellowlegs may annoy birders by spooking other shorebirds with their alarm calls. It is a very noisy bird. It often runs in shallow water and bobs its head up and down when it spots a potential predator.

Despite its familiarity and widespread range, its tendency to nest in buggy bogs in the North American boreal forests make it one of the least-studied shorebirds on the continent.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Seaside Bird’s-foot Trefoil

Posted on June 16, 2023 by tspuckler

While visiting Point Reyes National Seashore, I noticed this cool flower. It is found in moist open habitats, from the edges of forests out into open meadows and wetlands. It occurs from coastal mountains to the bluffs overlooking the sea.

Native to coastal California, this ground-hugging member of the pea family forms an inch-tall mat and carpets the ground with color. It is a member of coastal grassland and prairie ecosystems.

Seaside Bird’s-foot Trefoil’s flower clusters are made up of several tiny flowers each about half an inch long. The flowers have a bright yellow banner, or upper petal and bright pink or white lower petals.

This plant is perennial, but is Winter dormant, so the aboveground parts die off each winter. As temperatures warm, underground rhizomes re-sprout and new plants spring to the surface.

Seaside Bird’s-foot Trefoil is a nectar source for Painted Lady butterflies and a variety of native bees and other insects.

This plant is also known as Harlequin Lotus, Witch’s Teeth, Harlequin Deer-vetch and Coast Lotus.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

California Night Snake

Posted on June 9, 2023 by tspuckler

While turning rocks and logs in the Santa Cruz Mountains, I came across a couple of these very interesting serpents.

California Night Snakes are a small species, usually about a foot long and pale grey, beige or light brown. They have brown paired blotches on their back and usually three dark blotches on the neck.

These serpents are rear-fanged and slightly venomous. They use the fangs in the back of their mouth to latch onto their prey — typically lizards, frogs, salamanders and even small snakes.

Their fangs inject venom that subdues prey, but overall these snakes pose no threat to humans due to the location of their fangs and their weak venom. As their common name implies, California Night Snakes are primarily nocturnal.

When disturbed, a Night Snake may flatten its head, coil tightly, and vibrate the tail – appearing as a viper. However, it is a gentle species that is easily handled.

This reptile’s habitats include cliffs, talus slopes, grasslands, shrub savannas, shrublands, rivers and riparian wetlands. It tends to be found in found in hot dry areas of the western United States and British Columbia, Canada.

It was awesome to encounter these cool creatures on my visit to California.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Red Alder

Posted on June 2, 2023 by tspuckler

While looking for snakes in California, I wandered into this stand of trees. Red Alder is the largest species of alder in North America and one of the largest in the world, reaching heights of 65 to 100 feet.

This tree is most often found in moist woods and along streambanks. It quickly colonizes recently cleared land. Although many consider Red Alder a “weed” tree because it will often invade landscapes, this species is the first choice for ecological restoration.

Red Alder is a host to nitrogen-fixing bacteria that form nodules on its roots. Because of this association, the introduction of Red Alder to disturbed sites can quickly improve the fertility of soils, making the site more amenable to the colonization by longer-living conifers. The bark of this tree is mottled, ashy-gray and smooth, often covered by white lichens and moss. Its common name derives from the bright rusty red color that develops in bruised or scraped bark.

Red Alder’s leaves are ovate, 3 to 6 inches long, with bluntly serrated edges and a distinct point at the end; the leaf edges tend to be slightly curled under, a diagnostic characteristic which distinguishes it from all other alders.

Long catkins appear in Spring, before the leaves, producing copious amounts of pollen. Later it produces small brown cone-like strobiles less than an inch long that remain on the tree through the Winter.

Because of its oily smoke, Red Alder is the wood of choice for smoking salmon.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Tim Spuckler's Blog

Reptile Ramblings and More

Monthly Archives: June 2023

Spring Fishfly

Greater Yellowlegs

Seaside Bird’s-foot Trefoil

California Night Snake

Red Alder