Wayne's Trivia Notes #48
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 Wayne's Trivia Notes #48   © W.P. Armstrong    All Facebook Notes & Images   
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Wayne's Trivia Note #1010

Sperm-bearing pollen is how flowering plants carry on sexual reproduction. Native white forget-me-nots (Cryptantha) have some of the smallest pollen on Earth. They are the size of human red blood cells & are minute compared with a grain of table salt. In fact, they are invisible to the naked eye!
   Cryptanthas & Other Borage Family in San Diego County   

Wayne's Trivia Note #1011

If you see a large black bee flying under your eaves, it may be looking for a place to bore into wood with its powerful mandibles. In my experience they like wood damaged by dry rot fungus. Female worker carpenter bees (Xylocopa varipuncta) lay eggs in tunnels 1/2 inch in diameter. A little Henry Wet Patch Roof Sealant will quickly stop their progress.

Wayne's Trivia Note #1012

My "Little Yellow Ant" image I photographed in Maui is still on ant exhibition tour in France. It is currently in a museum exhibit at Les Champs Libres in the city of Rennes!

Wayne's Trivia Note #1013

Left: Highly magnified view (2000x) of human pus showing white blood cells (called neutrophils) with deeply-lobed purple nuclei. The minute paired dots (red arrow) are diplococcus gonorrhea bacteria (Neisseria gonorrhoeae). Each dot (coccus bacterium) is only about 0.5 micrometers in diameter. Some of the neutrophils have ingested the bacteria through phagocytosis. Right: A culture of rod-shaped anthrax bacteria (Bacillus anthracis). Some of the bacteria have divided by fission (red arrow). [Both images came from old (circa 1960) prepared microscope slides enhanced with Adobe PhotoShop by W.P. Armstrong.]
The name "Anthrax" was obviously flagged years ago by the FBI on my Wayne's Word Table of Cell Sizes. I placed a link to this informative table in case you are interested. I used this in my general biology classes at Palomar College.

   Wayne's Word Relative Sizes of Cells & Viruses   

Wayne's Trivia Note #1014

Cadbury Eggs: An Easter Tradition. I've observed numerous eggs in my biology career; however, this cadbury egg doesn't quite look egglike in my humble opinion. I am particularly concerned about the "yolk." (a) Was it supposed to resemble an unfertilized chicken egg? (b) Is my yolk discolored because it is past the expiration date? (c) Has the sugary filling caramelized due to excessive heat during storage? (d) All of the above? (e) None of the above?

Wayne's Trivia Note #1015

Grasses were thought to have evolved after the extinction of dinosaurs; however, microscopic silica bodies called phytoliths inside cells of grass leaves & stems were discovered in petrified dinosaur poop. Although there is no evidence of dinosaurs at Wayne's Word, phytoliths are abundant in crabgrass & bluegrass (Poa)!

   Phytoliths: Grasses & Dinosaurs Coexisted!   

Wayne's Trivia Note #1016
AI Misidentified My Caterpillar Images At Wayne's Word. They Are Not Giant Leopard Moth!

My images of larva were sent to AI & identified incorrectly as "Giant Leopard Moth." Although AI Image ID is usually pretty good, it is preferable to check other references to be sure of correct ID. In above example, the original AI name of "Giant Leopard Moth" doesn't even occur in S. California.

Note: I have found a lot of useful information on AI, including image ID; however, it is preferable to verify the accuracy of AI with other trustworthy references. In the case of difficult to identify, lethal mushrooms with evanescent traits that fade from sight, your life might depend on it.

Another Image of This AI Incorrect Moth ID Example:

Wayne's Trivia Note #1017

This tiny nymph the size of a pinhead is an immature cottonseed bug that I recently found in Twin Oaks Valley. It is spreading rapidly in CA. Since it feeds on cotton seeds, the source of cotton seed epidermal hairs that are spun into thread, it poses a serious threat to cotton crops. I notified UC Riverside where this destructive insect is being studied.

Wayne's Trivia Note #1018

I finally found someone to help control the overpopulation of ground squirrels at Wayne's Word in Twin Oaks Valley: Red Diamond Rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber).

Wayne's Trivia Note #1019

All these scary face spiders were found at Wayne's Word in Twin Oaks Valley. They truly resemble creatures from a science fiction horror movie!

Wayne's Trivia Note #1020

The coyotes & rattlesnake have helped me control overpopulation of ground squirrels. Today, another visitor on branch was watching where I placed deceased squirrel on coyote trail. I don't know how it found squirrel under pine tree. In lower image an angry crow was trying to drive away my new vulture friend.

Wayne's Trivia Note #1021

I find dichotomous keys stimulating & challenging, especially ants. Here is my latest, a thief ant queen. BTW, any ant that can invade Argentine ant nests is a friend of mine!

Wayne's Trivia Note #1022

I am saddened by discontinuation of 19 mm U.S. Penny. It was my standard size relationship for macro images during past 50 years.

Wayne's Trivia Note #1023

On 24 May 2026 I discovered a large female snout beetle with elongate rostrum at Wayne's Word. It resembled the Agave Weevil & Bamboo Shoot Weevil images on my Beetle Page 3 (See Following Link). When I did some research on this beetle I discovered that it is devastating to palms, including coconut & date palms, and other cultivated species in southern Calif.

   Wayne's Word Beetle Page 3   

Wayne's Trivia Note #1024

Steve Disparti discovered a tentative South American species of minute "rover ant" in Escondido. Photo by W.P.A. using S. Disparti image of B. aphidicola. Although my image was modified with Photoshop, I am quite certain this tiny ant could squeeze through my window screen designed for larger insects, such as mosquitoes!

   Tentative Unreported Brachymyrmex For San Diego   

Wayne's Trivia Note #1025

My latest pitfall trap discovery at Wayne's Word: A miniature soil-inhabiting centipede called "ground centipede" in the genus Geophilus.

Wayne's Trivia Note #1026

Insects are typically pinned through thorax for museum insect collections; however, tiny ants are too small to be pinned directly through their body. They must be glued to minute paper tabs attached to insect pin. This requires considerable dexterity & patience..

Insect ID & mounting started with my General Entomology class at CSUSA (formerly LA State) in the early 1960s of previous millennium.

Wayne's Trivia Note #1027

Latest spider discovery at Wayne's Word: "Noble False Widow" (Steatoda nobilis). Introduced from UK. Related to Black Widow; however, venom not as toxic. "Noble" in name from heraldic shield pattern on abdomen; or specific epithet "nobilis" translation meaning "well known.".