California False Wolf Spider

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01 False Wolf Spider_5000

I found this cool creature while on my visit to California. It is often misidentified as the Brown Recluse Spider, due to similarities of coloration, body proportions, leg length, and even leg positioning prior to movement. Their common name False Wolf Spiders comes from their physical similarity to Wolf Spiders, though they can be distinguished from Wolf Spiders by their two rows of eyes that are more equal in size than those of true Wolf Spiders.

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This species is often found in areas of dense human population. They are most common from the northernmost portions of California to the southern portions just north of the mountains near Los Angeles Basin. They often reside in redwood forests and present in cabins in the woods. Due to its large size, the False Wolf Spider is one of the most commonly feared species, though the venom of these spiders is not toxic to people.

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False Wolf Spiders are a small spider family, with only 181 known species. Like true Wolf Spiders they hunt their prey freely without a web. However, unlike Wolf Spiders, they are cribellate spiders, meaning they produce a very fine, crimped spider silk known as cribellum wool. However, this is no longer used to build webs for capture ng prey, but instead is used only in the area of the retreat and to protect the eggs.

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This particular specimen was found in a house. Even if you are not a fan of spiders, leaving a False Wolf Spider and other hunting spiders you find indoors might actually help reduce not only the number of insects in your home, but also its overall spider population. Mostly nocturnal, it is shy and tends to avoid humans. This species is Titiotus californicus, all 16 species of the genus Titiotus can be found residing in California.

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This eight-legged wonder was a neat and unexpected find on my trip.

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Acorn Woodpecker

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01 Acorn Woodpecker_4844

I saw this fine bird several times over the years when I have visited California. My most recent sighting were these two seen on Mount Hamilton. When flying, they take a few flaps of their wings and then drop a foot or so.

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This bird is mostly black with a red cap. The white neck, throat, and forehead patches are distinctive identifiers. Its habitat is forested areas with oaks in the coastal areas and foothills of Oregon, California, and the southwestern United States, south through Central America to Colombia.

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Acorn Woodpeckers, as their name implies, depend heavily on acorns for food. Acorns are such an important resource to the California populations that Acorn Woodpeckers may nest in the Fall to take advantage of the Autumn acorn crop, an uncommon behavior in birds. Although acorns are an important back-up food resource, these birds primarily feed on insects, sap, and fruit.

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Their acorns are stored in small holes drilled especially for this purpose in “granaries” or “storage trees”— usually snags, dead branches, utility poles, or wooden buildings. Storage holes are always in non-living tree tissue, such as bark or dead limbs and are used year after year.

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They are cooperative breeders, living and breeding in family groups of up to 15 individuals. Cooperative breeding, defined as more than two birds taking care of nestlings in the nest, is a relatively rare evolutionary trait that is thought to occur in only nine percent of bird species.

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Walter Lantz is believed to have patterned the call of his cartoon character Woody Woodpecker on that of the Acorn Woodpecker, while basing his appearance on that of the Pileated Woodpecker, which has a prominent crest.

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Whitehead Mule-ear

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01 Whitehead Mule-ear_6128

While exploring a clearing in the woods in the Santa Cruz Mountains, this plant really stood out. It is a short, low-growing, golden-rayed wildflower that resembles a sunflower.

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Whitehead Mule-ear occurs chiefly in California’s North Coast Range, Central Coast Range and some parts of the Sierra Nevada foothills. It is typically found in an understory habitat associated in sunny clearings of mixed oak forests.

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This is a relatively short plant, usually less than 24 inches tall, with long leaves for which the plant gets its common name. The leaves may up to 16 inches long.

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Whitehead Mule-ear can grow in large, dense colonies in moist meadows, creating a beautiful display. In my situation it was growing with just a few plants that added texture, shape and color to the landscape.

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These produce excellent flowers for pollinators and other wildlife, attracting bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects to the blooms and birds and small mammals to the seeds.

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With both a deep tap root and strong laterals, these slow-growing, but long-lived perennials also are good for controlling erosion.

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Although I have visiting this particular meadow a number of times over the years, this was the first time that I’ve ever encountered this wildflower.

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California Mountain Kingsnake

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01 California Mountain Kingsnake_2770

This is perhaps the most widely sought after serpent by herpers in the Golden State. It’s attractive colors and elusive nature make it a prize worth finding.

02 California Mountain Kingsnake_0087

It is secretive, but not rare in suitable habitat. This reptile spends most of the time underground, under surface objects, or inside rock crevices. It is occasionally seen active on the ground in the daytime, especially near shaded streams on hot sunny days.

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California Mountain Kingsnakes have a banded pattern that consists of red, black, and white crossbands. The bands are always arranged in the same order with each red crossband being surrounded by two black crossbands, forming what is called a triad.

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Adults are usually 24 to 36 inches long and are found in a wide variety of habitats, including coniferous forests, oak-pine woodlands, riparian woodlands, chaparrals, and coastal sage scrubs.

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California Mountain Kingsnakes are constrictors that have a diet which includes lizards, small mammals and snakes, as well as small birds. As their “mountain” name implies, they live in an elevational range from 1,500 – 8,000 feet.

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This species is found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Coast Ranges north of Monterey Bay, California, north into the Klamath Mountains, in Oregon, plus an additional, disjunct population along the Columbia Gorge, in Washington.

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It is always a thrill to come across this fine snake species while in the field.

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Behr’s Pero

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01 Behr's Pero_6263

I found this cool moth while visiting the Golden State. A member of the Geometridae Family, their larvae, or inchworms, appear to measure the earth as they move along in a looping fashion.

02 Behr's Pero_5333

This large family contains about 23,000 described species. Their caterpillars lack legs in the middle of their bodies, instead only having them at the front and back of their body.

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To move, the caterpillar clasps with its front legs and draws up the hind end, then clasps with the hind end and reaches out for a new front attachment, creating the impression that it measures its journey.

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The caterpillars are accordingly called “loopers,” “spanworms,” or “inchworms” after their characteristic looping gait. Most adult versions of moths from this family have broad wings which are held flat with the hindwings visible.

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The moth’s colors and patterns tend to blend into the background, often with intricate, wavy patterns on their wings. Most species are of a moderate size. Adults fly from April to October, depending on location.

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The habitat of the Behr’s Pero is pine forests and the caterpillars feed on several genera of pine tree needles.

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Western Amethyst Laccaria

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01 Laccaria amethysteo-occidentalis_6181

While exploring Mount Hamilton in Central California, I had a truly fun fungi find. While lifting a piece of corrugated metal in search of snakes, this purple organism caught my eye. Its habitat is pine forests, it seems to especially prefer living under Douglas Firs.

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This species can be recognized by its deep purple cap, thick purple gills, and its long, shaggy to grooved stem, as well as by their white spores. The color of this mushroom, except the gills, fades fast as it loses moisture. In fact, unless you find this fungus when very fresh, often the only purple you see on it is in the gills.

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Fungi like this mushroom play a vital role in ecosystems by acting as decomposers, nutrient cyclers, and mutualists. They break down organic matter, release essential nutrients, and form beneficial relationships with plants and other organisms.

Laccaria amethysteo-occidentalis_6171

This was a neat and unexpected find on my California trip.

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Western Gray Squirrel

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01 Western Gray Squirrel_5052

I sometimes see this creature while hiking through wooded areas in California. I often see it in small groups of animals, rather than individuals. The Western Gray Squirrel is the largest tree squirrel native to the Pacific Northwest.

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They are steel gray on the back, with contrasting white on the belly and throat, resulting in the name, “Silver Gray Squirrel” in some parts of their range. They are distinguished by their very long and bushy tails that are primarily gray with white-frosted outer edges.

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These mammals are forest dwellers. Time on the ground is spent foraging, but they prefer to travel distances from tree to tree. They are strictly diurnal, and feed mainly on seeds and nuts, particularly pine seeds and acorns, though they will also take berries, fungus and insects.

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When on alert, they will spread their tails lavishly, creating an umbrella effect that shields them and possibly provides cover from overhead predators. They are scatter-hoarders making numerous caches of food when it is abundant, and thus contribute to the seed dispersion of their food trees.

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Like other tree squirrels, the Western Gray Squirrel has hypermobile joints, which means their ankles can rotate 180 degrees. This allows squirrels to descend trees head first. They can also use their rear claws to hold on to the tree trunk in this position, leaving their front paws free to eat.

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Field Chickweed

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01 Field Chickweed_3244

Some places where I search for reptiles and amphibians in California are blanketed with this small white wildflower.

02 Field Chickweed_5482

Field Chickweed is a spring-blooming matted or clumped perennial herb that pops up in a variety of open sunny habitats. It grows throughout North America, but is infrequent in the Southeast.

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This herbaceous perennial plant grows to 3–10 inches tall, forming leafy stems that often branch near the base. Pairs of opposite leaves occur along the stems.

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Individual flowers are about 1/3″ inches across and sport five white petals. The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract primarily bees, including little Carpenter Bees, Cuckoo Bees, and Mason Bees.

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The seeds of Field Chickweed are eaten by many small rodents, including the Deer Mouse, Meadow Jumping Mouse, House Mouse, and Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel.

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Western Boxelder Bug

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01 Western Boxelder Bug_0893

This interesting insect is native to much of North America and occurs from British Columbia, Canada, south to California and east to Nevada, Utah and Texas. It can be found wherever its principle host Boxelder, occurs.

02 Western Boxelder Bug_5002

The adult Western Boxelder Bug is around 1/2 inch long, and about a third that in width. Its topside is grayish-black and has several reddish lines running across it. Its prominent red veins on its wings are a good way to differentiate it from the Common Boxelder Bug.

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The Boxelder is a small to medium sized tree that is the most widely distributed of the North American Maples. Boxelder Bugs generally confine their feeding to seeds or fruits and, other than reducing the quantity of viable seed or damaging fruits, they do not injure their host plants.

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During certain times of the year boxelder bugs cluster together in large groups while sunning themselves on warm surfaces (rocks, shrubs, trees, and man-made structures) near their host tree.

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Belonging to an order of insects known as Hemiptera, all Hemiptera have piercing-sucking mouthparts and outer wings that are half-leathery and half membranous, which is the origin of the order name meaning “half-wing.” Most insects in this order are plant feeders.

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Western Boxelder Bugs survive the Winter as adults in protected places around home landscapes and inside unheated parts of buildings. They sometimes become active outdoors during warm sunny days in late Winter. But their active season doesn’t really begin until temperatures regularly reach 70 degrees and their host trees begin having leaves.

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Brown Turban Snail

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While tidepooling on the California coast, I came across a few of these cool mollusks. This species occurs in the Pacific Ocean from Oregon to Santa Barbara Islands, California.

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With its smooth, conical shell, a brown turban snail looks like a “foot” wearing a large hat. The shell, usually covered with red algae, is orange or bright brown.

03 Brown Turban Snail_3128

This herbivore is common in the low intertidal and shallow subtidal areas, and is most commonly found on kelp, upon which it feeds. When an individual dies, the shell is often rapidly utilized by hermit crabs, which use the hard shells to protect their soft abdomen. If you see a brown turban shell rapidly moving across the reef, it is occupied by a hermit crab.

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If a Brown Turban Snail is dislodged from an irregular rock bottom, it can readily right itself, but on a gravel bottom it uses pebbles as a tool. It picks up pebbles with the front of its foot and transfers them to the back part of its foot. This changes the snail’s center of gravity, enabling it to roll over and right itself.

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Like other snails and slugs, to feed it uses a radula (belt-like organ with numerous teeth on it) to rasp away the surface layer of tissue on blades of kelp and other algae.

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Italian chefs serve these snails cooked in oil and served in their shell. They are removed and eaten with a pin. Brown Turban Snails are important prey species for predators including Sea Otters, Octopuses, Rock Crabs, and Sea Stars. They are able to sense chemicals that are released from some predators and flee towards shore in response.

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