Tag Archives: Laura Baker

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Neil and Susan Silverman found a big spider in their bathtub. Laura Baker identified it as a Calisoga longitarsus. the Velvet or False Tarantula.

Elizabeth Benishin found a round hole that was the size of a half dollar on the Jenner grade. I wondered if that was hair around the opening.

Peter Baye and Laura Baker took a look. Peter wrote, “It looks like a Calisoga longitarsus, False Tarantula, tunnel to me. They are huge, fast, venomous, and aggressive if they are cornered. The neurotoxin of full-sized adult bites is much, much more painful and long-lasting than the accounts repeated anecdotally by arachnologists...far worse than bees or wasps.” And Laura added, “I think Peter's right.  The only additional comment that I'd make is that what looks very much like hair around the burrow is actually silk.”

I learned that Tarantulas are burrowing spiders. For most of the time, Tarantulas live underground in burrows. They will dig burrows themselves, using their fangs, or will borrow an abandoned burrow. Shudder!

One last sighting of this spider from Rozanne Rapozo. It was dead in the water bowl set out for dogs at Gualala Point Regional Park. It was determined it was a male.

How's that for some spooky sightings on Halloween?!

Thanks to Neil and Susan, Elizabeth, and Rozanne for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

We had rain late yesterday, 0.43 inches in my gauge. Sunny and cool this afternoon with more rain coming in late Friday. Hooray!

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Last month Laura Baker found a Black-tailed Bumblebee with a nice yellow pollen packet.

Laura wrote, "Here's a photo of a Black-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus melanopygus) on Cow Parsnip. This is a female worker with pollen packed into the corbicula along her hind leg which she'll take back to her colony.  I've seen many of these bees this spring - they are some of the earliest bumblebees to appear.”

These Bumblebees love Ceanothus too. Another of our native pollinators, gathering pollen from various flowers.

Thanks to Laura for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

No fog today - it's warm, even close to the ocean. At my place, it's hot today!

 

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Mylitta Butterflies, Phyciodes mylitta, are small and colored orange, blank and with white edges. I am seeing one or two every day at my place in Anchor Bay. But Laura Baker topped me big-time with her sighting many of these elegant butterflies on a flowering bush at her place in Annapolis.

Here's a close-up for you to see, taken by Craig Tooley.

Life gets a little better when a butterfly comes your way! Thanks to Laura and Craig for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

It was foggy this morning, but the fog had pulled waaay back. That yellow thing...oh, yes, I remember!...the sun has appeared.

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We spotted this juvenile California Toad (Anaxyrus boreas halophilus).  We admired how beautiful its camouflage. It was hard to keep track of it as it moved among the rocks because it so perfectly blended in among the river stones.”

California Toads are a subspecies of Western Toads. This camouflaged toad is one of the many reasons why you should never drive in a river.

Thanks to Laura for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

It's raining cats and dogs and toads today, over 4 inches at our place in Anchor Bay!

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Laura Baker photographed cute Chipmunks recently.

She wrote, “I got a kick out of watching these Yellow-cheeked Chipmunks through my window today.  They were feeding on Himalayan blackberries.  They're often too shy to see, but we can hear their two-note call.  As the summer's gone on, they've gotten bolder and have shown themselves more.”

These blackberries are abundant this year, and delicious!

Thanks to Laura for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

Today we celebrate that the heatwave is over. Temps are mild with just a slight breeze. Nice!