October 15, 2020 Las Virgenes Canyon

I made a trip out here again to see if I could gather more information on the A. hirsutus wasp about which Rick West contacted me. Unfortunately, due to the super hot temperatures (will this heat ever end??) I had to go early and leave early. It was actually 96 when I left at 11 AM! I walked through the area looking for anything interesting on my way to the long-stemmed buckwheat where I had seen the original wasps. There were many birds out and about but I didn't detect anything unusual. It was nice to see a Lincoln's sparrow though. I don't see these too often.

I spent about a half hour plus monitoring the buckwheat and was mostly watching western honey bees the whole time. Fortunately, there was some shade where I could stand while watching for the wasps. I saw a few other insects but I never saw a single wasp. On my way out though I did see a coyote and a tarantula hawk hunting tarantulas. Not bad for a hot day!

Interestingly enough (and Laura called my attention to it!) I found a moth on the buckwheat that I initially thought might be a schinia species I had seen last year in October at Las Virgenes. I didn't get a dorsal view of it and it moved before I could get too many decent photos. Amazingly, it turned out to be the non-native moth Laura discovered and is collecting! Who would have thought! Though I had looked at Laura's photos, I really hadn't committed the images to my mind so I really had no inkling that I was looking at the same species.

I guess this just proves that you never know what you might find when you go out. I call it serendipity.

Posted on October 16, 2020 05:43 AM by naturephotosuze