Wayne's Trivia Notes #33
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 Wayne's Trivia Notes #33   © W.P. Armstrong    All Facebook Notes & Images   
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Wayne's Trivia Note #722 (10 January 2021)

My 2021 new year's resolution is to find and photograph the American Dewdrop Spider (Argyrodes elevatus), a tiny kleptoparasite that mimics dewdrops & invades the webs of other spiders.

Wayne's Trivia Note #723 (14 January 2021)

3 interesting views (events) on consecutive days: Looking west toward Owens Peak from cul-de-sac near my home in Twin Oaks Valley.

Wayne's Trivia Note #724 (18 January 2021)

While crawling through bushes at my home in Twin Oaks Valley I came across this striking mushroom with rusty brown or golden reddish-brown spores. It was growing on the stump of Raphiolepis indica (Indian Hawthorne). It keyed out to Gymnopilus luteofolius using California Mushrooms (2015) by D. E. Desjardin, M. G. Wood & F. A. Stevens; however, in Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora (1986) it keyed out to G. spectabilis = G. juniosus. The first ID in iNaturalist was G. junonius plus 3 additional species of Gymnopilus, including G. ventricosus, G. sapineus, & G. luteofolius. In addition G. humicola & G. aurantiophyllus were listed for San Diego County. G. junonius is called "spectacular rustgill" and "laughing gym." The latter name presumably from its psychoactive compounds. According to Wikipedia, some populations contain psilocybin. The epithet "junonius" commemorates the Roman Goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter, daughter of Saturn and mother of Mars, all of whom adorned our night skies these past few months. This widespread mushroom occurs in Europe, Australasia, both North & South America. With so many tentative identifications, the exact species of my Gymnopilus remains uncertain for the time being.

Remarkable Life Cycle Of A Gill Fungus Like Above Gymnopilus
Originally Placed On Whiteboard Of Palomar College During 2nd Millennium

Animals have more complex anatomy, but when it comes to life cycles, plants get the award for remarkable complexity. This is especially true for the Kingdom Fungi. The latest mushroom in my yard got me thinking about my mycology class at CSULA over 50 years ago. Every cell in this mushroom contains 2 nuclei representing 2 mating strains. Each time the cells divide the nuclei go through an amazing migration so that each cell gets a copy of the original 2 nuclei. So I re-wrote the diagram I originally placed on Palomar College whiteboards many years ago!

Wayne's Trivia Note #725 (27 January 2021)

Just thinking about my bright red 48 Ford Convertible that I restored 60 years ago in high school. I replaced practically every part & piece of chrome from Ford Obsolete in LA. Gee, I wish I had my car now during all my free time of social distancing. This is the same model used in the movies "Grease," "Karate Kid," & "Back To The Future."

Wayne's Trivia Note #726 (28 January 2021)

I have been verifying some of my spider IDs using the amazing iNaturalist social network. I couldn't resist reposting this image of long-jawed spider in my patio with a face as scary as any sci-fi movie (e.g. "Predator"). Imagine meeting up with a giant one of these creatures!

Wayne's Trivia Note #727 (29 January 2021)

My backyard during the massive clouds & heavy rains of 29 Jan 2021. From their appearance & sounds, all the plants and birds are very happy!

Wayne's Trivia Note #728 (1 February 2021)

Argentine ants living within my bathroom walls keep a tidy nest by discarding their trash and dead bodies in the corner for me to clean up.

Wayne's Trivia Note #729 (5 February 2021)

This unusual moth was recently reported from Julian in San Diego County. Its remarkable color pattern matches military camouflage. "Camouflage" in military uniforms, the word spelled the same in French, dates back to French armies in the early 1900s. Moths developed this much earlier through the process of natural selection to avoid being caught and eaten. The latter process was made famous by a man named Charles Darwin.

Wayne's Trivia Note #730 (9 February 2021)

Pacific Green Sphinx Moth: Did moth evolve to match military jacket, or was jacket pattern created to match moth?

Wayne's Trivia Note #731 (16 February 2021)

My latest house guest at Wayne's Word, courtesy of naturalist John MacDonald. It is a candidate for starring role in the next sci-fi movie! Wayne's Word Centipedes

Wayne's Trivia Note #732 (18 February 2021)

The reddish soil at my home in Twin Oaks Valley is derived from hillsides of San Marcos gabbro, an iron-rich rock resembling black granite. I am testing my new, powerful neodymium magnet for iron filings in bridle path!

Wayne's Trivia Note #733 (20 February 2021)

Social distancing at my home. Testing another Neodymium Magnet!

Wayne's Trivia Note #734 (26 February 2021)

Magnified view of stromatolite coating on granitic cobble showing laminate structure. The laminae are composed of white calcite, detrital stream particles, and an organic component composed of filamentous cyanobacteria. According to Buccheim (1995), the laminate structure is clearly distinguished from tufa, a porous calcareous precipitate that is common in desert alkaline streams. (10 x)

One of the objectives of Perserverance Rover on Jezero Crater, Mars was to find ancient life, such as fossil stromatolites. Researchers for recent Nova PBS special were interested in one of my living stromatolite images from Anza-Borrego; however, my fame & glory was short-lived because they didn't use it. It shows layer of microscopic cyanobacteria & white calcite on rock surface. These stromatolites don't grow multiple layers because of occasional floods down canyon. Stromatolites In Grapevine Canyon

Wayne's Trivia Note #735 (3 March 2021)

I am doing post-burn survey of the January 2021 Palomar College Comet Fire. The native Calif. Peony illustrates my theme of "Ashes To Wildflowers." Comet Fire Images

Wayne's Trivia Note #736 (25 March 2021)

My latest tiny ant discovery on bridle path in front of my house. I really take social distancing seriously. The common name "thief ant" is because these minute burglars steal food from other ant nests. They are incredibly small. In fact I almost tossed the contents of my ant pitfall trap until I noticed an orange dot the size of table salt grains.

Wayne's Trivia Note #737 (25 March 2021)

Many beautiful wildflowers on my Palomar College post-burn survey. This is bush mallow (Malacothamnus fasciculatus) in the mallow family (Malvaceae) that now includes many ornamentals and economically important plants, such as okra, cotton, cacao (chocolate), cola, durian, and kapok. Most remarkable discovery so far is ant that lives in leaf litter of forested northern latitudes and tropical cloud forests! Stay tuned.

Wayne's Trivia Note #738 (20 April 2021)

It seems like just a few years ago, but eleven years have passed since I took this image of goldfields (Lasthenia gracilis) near Lake Henshaw in San Diego County.

Wayne's Trivia Note #739 (26 April 2021)

Last night's supermoon (26 April 2021) over Twin Oaks Valley was so bright that the clouds appear to go behind it! I used separate exposures for clouds & moon with Sony HX50V. It is called "pink moon" after a phlox named ground pink that blooms during April in E. U.S. Last Year's Pink Moon

Moonset this morning at 6:00 AM behind pinkish clouds and ridge west of Twin Oaks Valley. The moon picks up a slight reddish tinge because its light passes through more atmospheric particles at horizon.

Wayne's Trivia Note #740 (4 July 2021)

Happy 4th of July 2021 From Wayne's Word! To celebrate fireworks on this special day, I enhanced my original image of the cultivated African daisy Osteospermum with Photoshop Glowing Edges Filter.

Wayne's Trivia Note #741 (1 June 2021)

The South American tropical genus Dinoponera includes some of the largest worker ants on our planet. In fact, one species is up to 4 cm (1.6 inches) or more in length! They also have huge biting mandibles and a painful sting. They belong to the subfamily Ponerinae, along with trapjaw ants (Odontomachus), sickle-jaw ant (Leptogenys), and panther ant (Pachycondyla). I also found a member of this fascinating subfamily (Hypoponera) at my home in Twin Oaks Valley. See following link to a few of the species in this subfamily on Wayne's Word.

  See Subfamily Ponerinae On Wayne's Ant Index Page  

Wayne's Trivia Note #742 (16 June 2021)

Many years ago I transplanted a male fig from roadside in Vista to my home & later to Palomar Botanical Garden. I am sticking with the name Ficus pseudocarica, although some botanists say it is just another F. carica. It is a phenomenal producer of pollen & pollinator wasps in one of nature's most remarkable relationships between a tree & an insect. Fig growers on Internet have asked me for cuttings!

  The Ficus Pseudocarica - F. Palmata Controversy  

Wayne's Trivia Note #743 (26 June 2021)

I just uploaded my tentative Wayne's Word 2022 Calendar from Vista Print! I realize that Christmas is 6 months away; however, I believe in getting things done early! I am using 20,000 ft. Mt. Denali for December 2022. This mountain is often shrouded by clouds, but on this day enough light came through for a nice picture enhanced with a polarizing filter. Click on preview of all 12 months.

  Preview Of Wayne's Word Calendar For 2022  

Wayne's Trivia Note #744 (27 June 2021)

I just witnessed a massacre in Walnut Grove Park near my home in Twin Oaks Valley: Tiny orange desert ants (Forelius pruinosus) killed thousands of native fire ants (Solenopsis xyloni). Even the larger fire ant major workers were killed in this unprecedented attack. This gory site inspired me to upload my latest Wayne's Word article: The Worst Enemy Of Ants Are Other Ants!

  The Worst Enemy Of Ants Are Other Ants