Wow! I can’t believe Weekend Expedition is turning 50! Seems like just yesterday we were at Richmond Nature Park, bringing bugs to kids and speculating how cool it would be to walk around and see the place. Catherine and I saddled up after a long week to see what we could see in this Richmond gem, a bog forest habitat just off Westminster Highway. The day was bright and sunny, but it was cool on the trails.
A male linyphiid (sheetweb weaver) hangs out on Oregon Grape.
These staphylinids seem to be having a sex party on a flowering Labrador Tea.
Catherine and I got our animal feeding jollies at home before setting out: we now have some really fat spiders!
Some prime spotting by Catherine: a female Snakefly!
This (lauxaniid?) is feeding on the corpse of a barklouse.
I really like how this chironomid blends into the lit-up leaf.
This one, in contrast, stands out.
This place is full of blueberries, all along the trails. None ripe yet though!
Here is a male Philodromus dispar in silhouette.
We found a whole bunch of rhaphidophorids (camel crickets) under some bark.
Back out toward the entrance was a newly-fledged Rufous Hummingbird.
Mama would come periodically with food.
The fledgling was already feeding itself as well!
This throat-stabby feeding looks painful, but seems to work well enough.
The whole scene was quite wonderful to see. In only a month and a half, they will be shipping out for a long migration south.
