It didn't taste like it!

Despite the fact that the last time I was here seems to have been a day prior to bonfire night, I didn't do a 'Guy Fawkes', neither did I By God's providence get catch'd! No, that's not the reason for my sabbatical: it wasn't even a true sabbatical because I haven't even been working - at least, not paid work. 

But I have been studying (mostly my navel) and I have been travelling. This opening photograph might give you a clue as to where I have been...

Yes, back to California for another visit. And right here on this beach, close to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco, is where I spotted a ladybird, or should that be ladybug? 

(A quick note here: you will not see the two following videos in the email version of this update)

It was right at the surf line of the ocean too; in fact you might be able to tell it still has sea-foam on its butt.

There were also what I think were curlews as well...

But I have quite a number of photographs of bugs and insects that I wanted to share as they came out of the camera, rather than tightly cropped etc. I think it gives a better idea of habitat and actual size of some of these creatures.

Oh! Just one thing before I add these pictures: did I mention they were mostly...

 

That one is obviously not a spider; I'm not stupid!

I know, I know...neither is this one. It's just not cricket - or is it?

Yes, it IS a damselfly! Oh, so when I mentioned spiders you didn't really want to see them, but now you are already wondering where they are? 

I should really be telling you exactly what these critters are I guess? Well, to this point there have been 4 jumping spiders - 2 crab spiders and another jumping spider. Right under this text is a photograph of a lacewing. Beneath that photo, there are two images of a female snakefly...

And the next one is a western boxelder bug. These are identical to the boxelder bug, except that they are slightly different! They feed on boxelder, as you might expect. This one is sitting on a plant I don't recognise though. I put Google Lens on it, and it told me it was cannabis! It didn't taste like it...

Okay, that's all of the SOOC (Straight out of camera) photos for now. Here's a photo of more western boxelder bugs that I did crop...

 Let's move on to 'B' shall we; and B is for..well, Bee!

I think this one might be Nomada species, but wouldn't want to go further than that as I'm not even convinced I've even got that part right.

I think this  may be a Listrus species of beetle. They are soft-winged flower beetles, and this one could be Listrus motschulskii. 

There were quite a few of them on the low vegetation...

I think this may be a newly moulted earwig; hence the very pale colour...

Scantius aegyptius, A Mediterranean Red Bug. 

Scantius aegyptius

This was an interesting find for me. 

These bugs are a species in the family 'Pyrrhocoridae' and are known to be pests of mallow plants in the USA. They are now considered to be an invasive species in North America, after being first recorded in California in 2009.

I must admit there were an awful lot of them in the one location I found them...

What also interests me though is how closely they resemble a bug that we find right here in the UK...

Although we call this bug: Pyrrhocoris apterus The Fire Bug, I think it is probably the same, or very closely related. It also feeds on mallow. It has also been reported from the United States, Central America, and India, and is also found in Australia.

I want to call this my star find: in fact I will...this was my star find!

I haven't managed to pin down an exact species for this tiny globular springtail, but I was so pleased to find it, even though it was the only one I saw on my visit. 

I haven't had a plump yet, and so I'm going to plump for Malachius species for this little metallic beetle...

And an unknown (to me) species of bee...(I don't think it's a wasp) 

I only managed a quick snap of this huge cricket as it sped away from me. The closest I have got to an ID thus far is 'Gryllus pennsylvanicus' - The Fall Cricket. 

Another unknown: this time a looper caterpillar, and I think I have less than no chance of getting to species on this one!

Well, I think that as this has already taken me months to get this far with a blog update about my American finds, I should probably leave it like this and post, with a view to a second edition......sometime.