Adventures of T-Res

We are Restoration interns in the GGNRA. These are some of the interesting things we see, do, and are excited about! Our opinions do not represent those of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy or the National Parks Service

[thescienceofreality]

The threat displays of non-threatening animals are kind of adorable

By: Robert T. Gonzalez | io9 | Image Credit: Bird and Moon Comics

Or they are, at least, in the hands of nature cartoonist Rosemary Mosco, creator of Bird and Moon Comics.

To the animals that wield them, however, warning coloration, aggressive poses, and intimidating anatomical features can mean the difference between death and a last-minute escape – even (or, perhaps, especially) when those animal are bluffing.

See more of Mosco’s work at Bird and Moon Comics.

Note that though the snake is shaking it’s tail like a rattlesnake, it is not illustrated with a rattle, so many readers of the original article, as well as myself, have concluded it is most likely a non-venomous snake that imitates rattlesnakes as a defense mechanism.  

What kind of other creatures do you know of that have amusing defense mechanisms and/or threat displays?

[t-rextoration]

[behavioralromanticism]

Mystery flower growing on the dry dry soil at Mori point

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mantis attack at Oakwood valley.

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Mission Blue mating.

from observation: once they start mating they tend to remain where they are. This particular pair was found when one of our team members almost stepped on them!

These tiny endangered butterflies only have 7 -10 days to fly and find a mate. In one of our sites they've seem to have been improving - this year we've observed 300+ butterflies, up from 180 last year.

[t-rextoration]

Chlorogalum pomeridianum, the soap plant.

A dusk flowering plant, pomeridianum refers to "post meridian". Meaning past mid day, it is pollinated by night flying insects like moths and some species of bees.

The name soap plant is derived from the reaction of saponins in the roots with water. The resulting foam was used by Native Americans as a detergent and shampoo.

Fish are particularly sensitive to saponins, which is why Native Americans added a soap plant root solution to fishing nets and streams to stun fish while fishing.

Photo credit: http://www.yosemitehikes.com/wildflowers/soap-plant/soap-plant.htm

[rorschachx]

The innocuous-looking harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis, shown left) wields a biological weapon of mass destruction. Europe and North America imported the insects in the early 20th century to control pesky aphids. But the harlequin, native to Asia, began to flourish, crowding out the native seven-spotted ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata, shown inset). Scientists previously thought that the harlequin prospered because of an unusually strong antimicrobial immune system, which would protect it from disease in a foreign environment. But the beetle’s more potent secret is a fungal parasite, in the insect-afflicting Nosema genus, which lives in the beetle’s blood. The parasite doesn’t affect the harlequin but fatally overwhelms seven-spotted lady beetles within 2 weeks of infection, researchers report online today in Science. Ladybugs commonly eat the eggs of competing species, so when seven-spotted beetles feast on the harlequin’s parasite-laden eggs, the parasite strikes back. Researchers say that foreign invaders fare better when they bring along diseases that they’re already tolerant of, while other, closely related species (such as the seven-spotted ladybug) might not enjoy such conquistador-like success. | via sciencemag.org

[muirenvironmentalcorps]

This is also true for fire ants.

[t-rextoration]

San Bruno Elfin larva. Photo taken at Milagra Ridge.

[t-rextoration]

We found this Jerusalem cricket during Mission blue butterfly monitoring (along with 109 adult Mbb sightings)!

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Native wildflowers blooming at Mori Point!

[t-rextoration]

Yet another Mission blue and lupine photo...its the season! This is a great example of myrmecophily, (whcih literally translates to "ant love"), or the symbiotic association between ants and other organisms.

The Mission blue (and many other lycaenidae butterflies) have coevolved with various ant species. These ants tend larvae by protecting them from predators. In return, the larvae secrete a sugar rich liquid called "honeydew" for the ants to feed on.

Edit: Fun digression - not all ant-butterfly associations are symbiotic. For example, larvae of the Alcon blue butterfly produce cuticular hydrocarbons that mimic those of certin Myrmica species. These ants are tricked into believing that the butterfly larva is one of their larvae. The ants carry the caterpillar into their nests, were the worker ants feed it (and it also starts feeding on ant larvae)! Eventually, the Alcon blue larva develops into an adult butterfly and thus no longer mimics the ant chemical signature. The butterfly has to escape the nest before being recognized and attacked by the ants.

[t-rextoration]

Mission blue butterfly feeding damage on lupine leaves. The caterpillars eat everything but the cuticle, leaving these characteristic "windowpane" marks.

[t-rextoration]

Look out for Lyme!

[t-rextoration]

So far we've been giving you close ups of the Mission blue butterfly's under-wing, since the most defining characteristic of the butterfly are their two rows of black dots with white halos.

Today's post is all about scale - that little blue dot is what we look for when we are walking the hills of Oakwood Valley monitoring their populations.

[t-rextoration]

This appears to be a seed from Erodium spp. (We'll correct this if we find a different ID!) Regardless, the awn attached to the seed head is a hygroscopic extention. These extentions absorb water from the environment - and as they do so they loosen. When the awns dry, they curl into a corkscrew. As this process repeats the seed head is essentially "drilled" into the soil. Here is a video of Needle-and-Thread grass exibiting the same adaptation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQvD-vtjd-c

 Pretty neat!

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Wildflowers in Mbb habitat!

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Two of the 27 Mission blue butterflies that we observed while monitoring today.