Tag Archive | BC

Emergence Day!

Remember those black widow egg sacs we collected a few weeks ago? Well, the spiderlings have hatched, moulted once, and are now emerging from their egg sacs!

Here is what an egg sac looks like when it is ready.

And here, with light penetrating the silk, you can see the spiderlings inside:

A spiderling peeking out.

And squirming free.

Done!

Here, the baby spiders socialize at the playground. They are best of friends at this stage…
Just kidding! They cannibalize each other like zombies!

In other baby spider news, at the apartment, the cellar spiders have hatched, and are spending some time adjacent to mom in the same corner where they were brooded.

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Weekend Expedition 21: A spider hunt at Iona Beach

Jun10

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This weekend expedition, I put out the call for our lab members to join me in a trip to Iona Beach, which is just bustling this time of year with all kinds of wonderful creatures, especially some wonderful spiders. I was joined by Catherine Scott, Samantha Vibert, Matt Holl and Nathan Derstine from our lab, and the newly-minted Dr. Gwylim Blackburn of UBC. We were heavily loaded with spider experts, as Catherine studies the western black widow, Sam has studied the hobo spider, and Gwylim is an expert in salticid behaviour and evolution. Luckily for us, Iona Beach was a field site for both Samantha and Gwylim, so they knew the good spots to find the best spiders.

A chrysidid seeks bee nests to parasitize

A male Yellow-headed Blackbird. This population at Iona Beach is a very disjunct coastal population of a normally Interior bird.

A male Salticus scenicus (Zebra Jumper). Look at his amazing chelicerae!

Sam enjoys the Yellow-headed Blackbird

We checked out the progress on the new Wild Research banding hut.

A male Tree Swallow watches his mate’s nest box.

The female peeks out.

Gwylim handles a newly-shed garter snake

So bright!

A male Habronattus americanus traverses a log.

A large female Trochosa wolf spider hides under a log.

A female Hobo Spider (Tegenaria agrestis) under a log at the beach.

A very large female Habronattus americanus was unimpressed with our match making (we tried to bring a male in to see courtship).

The male Habronattus americanus, resplendent with his bright colouration.

This jumper Matt found is is Habronattus hirsutus.

A female Phidippus johnsoni looks out from her egg sac.

Gwillim and Catherine searching for Habronattus ophrys.

Nathan scans the ground carefully. H. ophrys is very elusive!

A beautiful Philodromid (running crab spider) under an aster.

At the end of the day, I did some studio shots with the Habronattus ophrys and the Habronattus hirsutus, as the first one at least has very poor photo documentation.

Habronattus hirsutus

Habronattus hirsutus

Habronattus ophrys

Habronattus ophrys

First Robber Flies of the season!

May23

This morning, on another dog walk at Mt. Tolmie, I came upon my first Robber Fly of the year. It was perched on a closed Camas bloom, which wasn’t very pleasing, so I nudged it onto some other substrates. Because it was a cool and wet day, the robber obliged and did not flee. I do not know what species it is, but it looks to be a small male Laphria, which are known as the “Bee-like Robber Flies”. The Robber Flies )Family Asilidae) are some of my favourites, as they are often showy, have spectacular predation behaviour and can turn their heads to track flying prey!

After shooting the fly on several different backgrounds, I put him on an oak twig, figuring it would be a good place to catch the sun and warm up. To my surprise, a second male robber was perched on the very next twig! Please enjoy the following pictures responsibly, and if you have a fly-gasm, try to muffle yourself if you are in public.

Of course the robbers were not the only flies out there:

relatives of the Asilidae are the Empidae, or Dance Flies.

a wet Calliphorid

A Tipulid in the grass

On the subject of Tipulids, check out this spectacular male Tiger Crane Fly I found yesterday!

Wednesday morning walk in a Garry Oak Meadow

May22

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This morning I again took Maggie (the dog) to Mt. Tolmie, a great Garry Oak meadow ecosystem. Of course, I brought along my camera. I was not disappointed with the subjects!

Snakeflies seem to be especially abundant in this park

A Philodromid (Running Crab Spider). Genus Tibellus?

A beautiful Northern Alligator Lizard

Northern Alligator Lizard

another beautiful Selatosomus edwardsi

This is a moth of the genus Adela, but I am unsure what species it is. .

Weekend Expedition 18: Around Victoria, East Sooke and Saanich

May21

A river otter chows into a large sculpin at East Sooke Park.

This weekend was the Victoria Day Holiday in Canada, so what better way to spend it than out searching for cool things in and around Victoria? Over the course of the past four days, I traveled on the Saanich Peninsula, out to East Sooke, and around the city to various localities to take pictures of natural things. I also spent some time by the seaside in Oak Bay, shooting intertidal creatures for the Cheapskate Tuesday post to follow. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as Catherine and I enjoyed taking them!

: The Bald Eagles nest at Oak Bay Firehall every year, and are great in the evening light!

: Juxtaposition of a rainbow and a robin.

: Three bird species in this shot!

: My shots of a Camponotus ant colony…Myrmecos here I come!

: This was my favourite of the bunch, with the water droplets adding to the interest.

: This hydro right-of-way near Prospect Lake is great edge habitat where I like to go to find lizaards and snakes

: Full of invasive Scitch Broom of course, but that one is never going away….

: Gulls near Ogden Point.

: Ah, East Sooke Park! The access trail is full of slugs, and used to be full of Red-legged frogs as well, but these are getting very rare indeed.

: Western Red-backed Salamander.

: Trees, light and rocks.

: Maggie was our faithful, slightly insanne companion for the hike.

: Amphipods mating in a tide pool! Check out those claws!

: Epiphytic growth on a fir.

: Stonecrop is common in the drier rocky areas.

: Catherien examines a spider?

: Unidentified elasmobranch. ID suggestions? The jaws were 16 cm across.

: teeth of aforementioned elasmobranch.

: Soldier Beetle.

: Sculpin above calcareous red alga.

: Lots of pink!

: I like this, sea and sky and rock, together with crab.

: A River Otter feeding.

: Looking south across the Strait of Juan de Fuca at Washington State and a US Coast Guard ship.

: Isopods abounded too!

: Catherine takes a break in the spring sun.

: Canadian Forces CF18, Note the false canopy, drop tanks and live Sidewinders. My brother tells me it was a coastal patrol flight.

: Maggie’s mission is to retrieve stuff, even kelp. It is in her nature!

: A Northern Alligator Lizard at Mt. Tolmie.

: Many species of birds were feeding on very abundant caterpillars on the Garry Oaks.

: Frugivore turns insectivore!

: Granivore becomes insectivore!

: A Lycaenid.

: Dysdera crocata, the woodlouse hunter! We found a male and female beneath a log.

: Check out those woodlouse-killing jaws!

Weekend not over!

May20

This weekend is a long weekend in Canada, so the Weekend Expedition is not over. Check in tomorrow for both the Weekend Expedition and Cheapskate Tuesday….and the fascinating intersection of the two!

In Victoria!

May17

I am back in my real hometown: Victoria, BC, looking after my mom’s dog Maggie while my mom makes a trip to the Rockies. Because I am getting out twice a day with the dog, and sometimes can be persuaded to go out shooting with my brother, there is a good chance I will get some decent photo opportunities. Here is some of what I got yesterday.

Aedes togoi, an introduced mosquito from Japan, was first discovered in Victoria by my entomology professor Richard Ring. This one was hanging out at Cattle Point adjacent to the rock pools where it breeds.

Selatosomus edwardsi, a very pretty Click Beetle. I have found them previously in Victoria.

A moth peeking out to see if it is safe

Good day for a crow, bad day for a crab

I don’t always find jumping spiders in the high intertidal zone, but when I do, there are barnacles nearby.

Camas, once a staple food of some Salish people, is still abundant around Victoria, and is quite beautiful this time of year.

A male Running Crab Spider, Philodromus dispar.

Out catching snakes with my brother! Photo by Colin McCann.

A very pretty Pterphorid (Plume Moth).

This male Anna’s Hummingbird was defending a territory from a blackberry cane.

He really is lovely! Last year I found a nesting female.

A big mess of earwig nymphs!

Another of the hummingbird! I can’t resist!

A bald eagle launches from Cattle Point.

Found: Red-legged frog on Burnaby Mountain

May9

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The other day, when I was out searching for aquatic insects for my new aquarium photography setup, I came to a small pond in the forest just below the school, and could have swore that a Red-legged Frog jumped into the water. I did not want to stir up the pond to much, so I told myself I would come back to confirm.

This morning, after sending my predation manuscript to my coauthors for their input, I went down for a peek. Sure enough, right at the border of the pond, was a beautiful Rana aurora! I took a few photos before letting the frog go on its way. I checked the pond with a net, and found that it was full of eggs and larvae, so this was not the only one! I am excited to see this, as this species has been declining across its range in BC (though they were quite abundant when I was a kid). It is good to know that despite the super pro-development forces at this school, that there still remain parklands that can support these frogs.

This weekend, I will be giving a talk at the Science Rendezvous at SFU (part of a national science festival), so perhaps in the morning I will do some more exploring of the wooded areas near the school. If anyone is interested in attending, my talk is at 12:30!

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Weekend Expedition 16: A Grab Bag

May6

Probably the coolest find of teh weekend, this Rough-skinned Newt (Taricha granulosa) was the first I have seen on the Mainland.

Probably the coolest find of the weekend, this Rough-skinned Newt (Taricha granulosa) at Maplewood Park was the first I have seen on the Mainland.

This Weekend Expedition is actually another composite of three trips:

1) to Burnaby Lake with Mike, Catherine, Viorel and Tavi, stalking the elusive goslings

2) back to Hastings Park in the morning for some early insect shots

3) finally making it out to Maplewood Park in North Vancouver, accompanied by Adam Blake.

It was an exhausting weekend, with fine weather and good company, so I think I will let the images do most of the talking here!

Gallery 1: Burnaby Lake

: These are the goslings we were looking for!

: Catherine and Tavi explore the Piper Spit dock

: Viorel tries to show Tavi a goose

: Tavi and Viorel

: Piper Spit

: Western Painted Turtles (I presume) sunning.

: Mike shoots from the observation tower.

: Damsel via 300 mm plus tubes, natural light

: Damsel via 300 mm plus tubes, natural light

: Mike and Tavi stalk damselflies

: A firefly takes flight

: Coleopteran remains in bird dropping.

: Photo by Mike Hrabar, showing a Staphylinid orgy!

: A beautiful stinker

Gallery 2: Hastings Park

: A beautiful snail

: A chironomid

: Magic or spider silk?

: An Ichneumonid surveys the scene

Gallery 3: Maplewood Park

: An Elaterid on Horsetail

: A Soldier Beetle in the hand

: A Mule Deer was unconcerned with our presence

: Siskin food!

: Sleepy Pine Siskin

: Milbert’s Tortoiseshells on the mudflats

: We watched two osprey catch fish.

: This is known as the McBarge, and actually was a McDonald’s restaurant at Expo ’86. It looks shimmery due to heat and distance.

: Rough-skinned Newt!

: Rough-skinned Newt!

: Adam shoots beach flies.

: This Siskin was feeding on dandelion seeds

: A Thistle Tortoise Beetle? Guillaume? Anyone?

: Rough-skinned Newt!

What to expect when your Cellar Spider is expecting

May3

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Last night, a chance photograph of a large Cellar Spider led to a wonderful discovery. Our Pholcus phalangiodes is gravid!

These Longbodied Cellar Spiders are temperate representatives of a largely tropical group of spiders, and are common members of the household fauna. This gravid cellar spider has a large distended abdomen and through the cuticle you can see her ovaries with their developing eggs.

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The newly yolk-filled eggs are white, and as they mature, they become dark towards the end of the abdomen. I am expecting that soon we will see this female brooding her package of newly-laid eggs soon, as this one did in the same spot last year.

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Within a month or so, these will hatch into gorgeous little translucent Cellar Spiderlings which will remain close to the female until after their first molt.

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Despite her advanced gravid state, our Cellar Spider has not lost her long-limbed lean look, which is probably easy if you are a Cellar Spider! For more information about the reproduction of this impressively leggy species, see here.

isn’t she beautiful?