Yesterday, I walked the Red Car Property with Daniel Marlos, A.K.A. "The Bugman of Mt. Washington." The bugs at the north end of the property put on quite a show for him. Marlos immediately spotted a swarm of large green dragonflies around one of the California Black Walnut Trees growing above the viaduct footings. In 24 years of walking the Red Car Property I have never seen a swarm of dragonflies. I was unable to get a clear photo. See photos & read about Green Darner Dragonflies swarming: What's That Bug?
The Harvester Ants were very busy collecting seeds & plant matter, bringing oversized bounty back to their nests. We looked at 2 colonies, but acknowledged we were not sure if they were separate colonies or part of a supercolony. The entrances to the colonies were several hundred feet apart. Read more about this important "indicator species:" What's That Bug
Marlos caught sight of a large Tarantula Hawk, "flying casually" under the heritage Coast Live Oak Tree on Lot C. I noted we've been seeing a lot more Tarantula Hawks than ever before on the Red Car Property, especially on the north end, where the soil is less compacted & the habitat includes more native plant species. Marlos commented that we must have a lot of tarantulas or even trapdoor spiders in the neighborhood since those are their preferred hosts for egg laying.
