Wayne's Trivia Notes #37

A fascinating blister beetle image sent to me from Spain by Stephanie & identified on iNaturalist. Of all the 350,000 beetle species on our planet, 7,500 are blister beetles, so named because of their defensive irritant cantharidin. Some are brightly colored as a warning to predators. "Spanish fly" is from ground up bodies of a European blister beetle (Lytta vesicatoria).

Wayne's Trivia Note #804 (5 May 2022)

During the past 2 years of social distancing I have made some detailed observations of animals in local hills & Twin Oaks Valley. Some pollinator bees resembling honey bees in size are not honey bees. They are solitary, ground-nesting bees (Anthophora) that live in tunnels along nearby bridle path.

Wayne's Trivia Note #805 (8 May 2022)

Numerous colorful flowers & fascinating insects live at the Wayne's Word headquarters in Twin Oaks Valley. Click on following link to see my biggest fear living in Twin Oaks Valley surrounded by a sea of encroaching urban sprawl:

My Biggest Fear Living In Southern California

Wayne's Trivia Note #806 (10 May 2022)

I am very fond of the duckweed family (Lemnaceae), now moved to the Arum Family (Araceae); especially the genus Wolffia (World's Smallest Flowering Plants). My original Wayne's Word on the Oregon State University website included this remarkable plant family.

3 Species Of Wolffia: My Favorite Flowering Plants

Wayne's Trivia Note #807 (16 May 2022)

Last night's blood moon rising above hill behind my house in Twin Oaks Valley. It was very faint to the naked eye, not at all vivid as in my image. The brightness increased greatly with time exposure, especially with some of the haze filtered out. See following link for more details.

Blood Moon (Lunar Eclipse) Images Over Twin Oaks Valley

Wayne's Trivia Note #808 (17 May 2022)

Late-blooming spring wildflower in dry hills of coastal sage scrub adjacent to Palomar College.

Wayne's Trivia Note #809 (19 May 2022)

When the grassy hills north of Palomar College turn brown in late spring & Palomar students graduate, there is a lovely wildflower appropriately named "farewell-to-spring."

Wayne's Trivia Note #810 (21 May 2022)

This colorful little rove beetle was brought to me in alcohol from London. This & related species of the genus Paederus are known to cause blistering rash, including epidemics in some countries.

Wayne's Trivia Note #811 (24 May 2022)

Screen capture of one of many hand-coded html tables on Wayne's Word. This one concerns taxonomic controversy over genus of duckweeds. It was cited in a peer-reviewed journal. Creating hexadecimal codes by hand is magical & fun for someone with too much time on his hands!

Wayne's Trivia Note #812 (1 June 2022)

I never cease to be amazed at all the plants I don't recognize on the Palomar College campus, and how DNA sequencing has changed plant names since I was botanically trained during the previous (2nd) millennium! In fact, I thought these "globe daisies" were in the sunflower family (Asteraceae)!

Wayne's Trivia Note #813 (18 June 2022)

California striped racer (whipsnake) peering out of my ivy in its elevated head, hunting posture.

Wayne's Trivia Note #814 (26 June 2022)

"I shouldn't have tried to catch that beetle with large mandibles!"

Wayne's Trivia Note #815 (28 June 2022)

My latest image page about plants of Palomar College. It features the remarkable Australian bottle tree (Brachychiton rupestris). If you retired many decades ago, like I did, you might not recognize today's campus botanical garden and all the modern buildings!

Bottle Trees On The Campus Of Palomar College

Wayne's Trivia Note #816 (4 July 2022)

Happy July 4th From Patriotic Osteospermums At Wayne's Word!

A curious former student thought my Photoshop enhanced
(glowing filter) flower image resembled Covid-19 virions!

Wayne's Trivia Note #817 (14 July 2022)

Last night's "Buck Moon" (when male deer antlers have enlarged since spring), and new Rosuwa solar outdoor lantern in front yard of Wayne's Word headquarters.

Wayne's Trivia Note #818 (16 July 2022)

Last night I was serenaded by a male Oecanthus californicus tree cricket, although I don't think I was his primary objective. Click here more information and to hear his song!

Male Oecanthus In Chirping Mode

Wayne's Trivia Note #819 (19 July 2022)

This silver Argiope is missing 2 legs on her right side. Because of this injury, I have been feeding her green bottle flies from my house. As I write this trivia note, she has a male suitor. I guess lack of body appendages and size are not important factors in spider relationships.

Wayne's Trivia Note #820 (23 July 2022)

Gardens at Wayne's Word are a haven for animals from nearby chaparral during this scorching summer of 2022. They are all welcome; however, yesterday's guest discovered by Elaine near a planter box needed to be relocated. I found a safe place for it in nearby chaparral area. I DO NOT KILL THESE BEAUTIFUL CREATURES!

Wayne's Trivia Note #821 (1 August 2022)

The Cook pine from New Caledonia forms naturalized forests throughout the Hawaiian Islands. The wood is used for very beautiful bowls and other objects. Interestingly enough, the trees lean south toward the equator. Guess which way they lean in the southern hemisphere?

Wayne's Trivia Note #822 (5 August 2022)

Romance between my male "caprifig" (transplanted from roadside ravine in Vista) and my lovely female "verte" tree has resulted in a new Wayne's Word "unofficial" variety. It is loaded with seeds from pollination by my fig wasps. The seeds impart a crunchy, nutty flavor to the fig.

Wayne's Trivia Note #823 (6 August 2022)

Throughout human history, one of the most remarkable trees on our planet is the fig (Ficus carica). A scholarly new international book about figs was just published, with botanical contributors from many different countries. Some of the images and observations are from the Wayne's Word website at Palomar College.

Wayne's Trivia Note #824 (9 August 2022)

While eating my healthy fig salad, I was thinking about how figs are truly the most remarkable trees on our planet. Fig sexuality is very complex and many references I have consulted are incorrect. Oversimplification often leads to errors. There are over 900 species, mostly on tropical islands & continents, & they all have unique symbiotic pollinator wasps. Flowers can be male & female on same tree and/or separate female trees in population. I once gave a lecture on this subject for a large audience that was falling asleep. So I began throwing in human innuendos & comparisons to wake people up!

Wayne's Trivia Note #825 (10 August 2022)

Last night in Twin Oaks Valley just before dark: Standing by my fig trees and looking west. The sky changed rapidly & drastically in the few minutes between dusk and darkness. (Sony HX-60).

Wayne's Trivia Note #826 (23 August 2022)

Honey bees navigate by the position of sun. Sometimes I find stranded bees that cannot return to their nest. If they simply ran out of energy, I can't resist helping them, especially if I have an eye dropper of sugar water or a little honey.

Wayne's Trivia Note #827 (23 August 2022)

Rapidly changing cloud formations observed from my front yard today (23 Aug. 2022). Following image shows massiveness of cloud formation in distance with my house in foreground.

Wayne's Trivia Note #828 (26 August 2022)

This handsome face is latest ant from Ant Lady Stephanie in Ronda, Spain. It is a red wood ant in the genus Formica. As a defensive mechanism, they spray formic acid from their rear end. Although I am not certain about the specific epithet, I am very sure they are not the source of Formica tabletops!