Catherine and I have been in Vancouver for a few days, catching up on some school-related business at SFU, and saying hello to our friends. We made a special trip on Sunday to say hello to Stanley Park with our friend Samantha Vibert, and here is what we saw!
Samantha with a juvenile Araneus diadematus. Shortly after this shot was taken, the spider ballooned right off her finger!
A Golden-crowned Sparrow.
A bright eyed and eager-looking Towhee!
This long-jawed orbweaver was tricky to capture with a non-black background, as I had forgotten to charge my second speedlight’s batteries.
A red velvet mite looking red and velvety, which they like to do.
Ensatina! ensatina! (That is how you spell it right?)
This brown Green Lacewing (Nothochrysa californica) was freshly emerged, and looking rather wonderful. Thanks to v belov for the ID!
A mystery egg sac. Any ideas what it could be?
Amaurobiids are extremely abundant in the old firs and cedars of Stanley Park (and everywhere on the coast).
This one has a cool-looking carapace.
Catherine doing some knitting on a gorgeous spring day.
Nice find with the Ensatina. Where in the park was it? I’ve looked for them during an amphibian survey before but with no success.
This was in Stanley Park. They can be found many places with a reasonably intact forest, and under logs is probably the best place to look. I often find them at SFU on Burnaby Mountain as well.