Mallibu Bluffs Park
Carrizo Plain
Another one of these..may have been one or two more at least
Attempt to separate the species in https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/189933777. Thanks so much @jlisby and @jurga_li for your help with this!!
Near the Montecristo Park road. Partly cloudy day in the 70’s F. Puddling at wet sand by creek.
Malibu Bluffs Park
Either very territorial or trying to mate with all genera of bees around; went after Centris rhodopus and Apis mellifera.
In Malibu Creek State Park on California Buckwheat flowers in Coast Live Oak Woodland area not burned by Woolsey Fire. Sunny day in the 70’s F. Note brown in flight and brown topside can be seen through torn wing. If Satyrium Auretorum, should be the Santa Monica Mountains ssp. Fumosum.
Temescal Ridge
See bugguide: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1958220/bgpage
About a dozen of these were feeding on Cliff Aster.
Temescal Ridge
Feeding on Narrowleaf Milkweed.
On bush-mallow.
Bald and beautiful
Feeding on California Buckwheat.
Feeding on Shortpod Mustard.
So many bees on this Cleveland sage, then a robber fly crashed the party.
Like the Peridot Sweat Bee of my previous obs (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/58638198), the Blood Bee was feeding via (possibly already made) slits in the tubular flowers of the California Fuchsia. (Pic 4: possibly an Assassin Bug, discovered in the photo.)
I think this could be a Genus Andrena bee feeding on California Brittlebush. The coloring of the bee reminded me on a Cherry Plum Mining Bee I saw a few weeks ago, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/38982903.
This bee was hovering over the nests of Bindweed Turret Bees (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/49582640), and also crawled into a tunnel-shaped nest entrance. Was this a predator/parasite, or was this bee nesting in the same spot?
Feeding on Chaparral Bush-Mallow.
Feeding on Common Sunflower. I found a nest site about 20 meters away and think this could be one of the bees nesting there, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/54670374.
Nest site, about 20 x 7 meters, with several hundred bees buzzing about. The bees are a bit smaller and much hairier than the Diadasia bituberculata we saw about a month ago. It’s a disturbed chaparral area, part of a fire road. Flowering plants include a few Common Sunflowers, Telegraphweed that’s just budding, and Shortpod Mustard.
Going to need to get expert confirmation on this ID but the Type Locality and host plant are correct for this ID. Feeding at patch of Sulphur Buckwheat on East ridge of Tehachapi Mountain. Although there was a lot of Wright’s Buckwheat on the ridge too, it was not blooming which implies that this butterfly’s host is E. Umbellatum since Euphilotes only emerge when their host plant is in bloom. Elevation 7500ft +. Sunny day in the high 70’s F.
Tiny bee feeding on Deerweed. Genus Anthophorula? https://bugguide.net/node/view/131026