Tag Archives: Laura Baker

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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!

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Laura Baker wrote, “Here's a photo of a Barred Owl I snapped today up here in Annapolis.  It's peeking behind a strand of Usnea lichen.  I have to admit having mixed feelings about seeing it.  On the one hand, it's a beautiful, powerful bird.  But as you probably know, the Barred Owls are driving out our local and less aggressive Northern Spotted Owls.”

This beautiful owl used to be an owl of the eastern part of the United States but in the 20th century it started to migrate towards the Pacific Northwest. For better or worse, the Barred Owl is here. These owls fly noiselessly so it's often difficult to spot them.

For comparison, here's a Northern Spotted Owl, photographed some years ago by Craig Tooley.

Thank to Laura and Craig for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

No fog today and temps are very warm when you get away from the ocean!