Every week at this time of year brings a new set of the native plants on the farm into bloom.
Native plants in flower :May 23–Phenology
Month: May 2015
Parasite of Garry Oak- Cynipid Gall wasp : Disholcaspis spp.
Each year I find some branches of the younger Garry Oak trees that I have planted on the farm to have these small brown pillbox-like galls of an insect parasite . Usually the branch will die in the following year. I am attempting to get it identified. Also the branches of the trees these are found on often have deep scratches as if a bird was trying to get under the bark?? I think that leads to the weakening of the branch. I have saved one top leader of a Garry Oak tree like this by coating the damaged section with grafting paste.
Margot Moser of Nanoose bay, suggested that these galls are likely made by the Honey gall wasp Disholcaspis eldoradensis. A light colored, cylindrical (8mm in diameter), flat-topped gall caused by a cynipid gall wasp.
I am not so sure and a look at the reference on California Oak Galls by Joyce Gross made me think it may even be Disholcaspis chrysolepidis
Phylum Arthropoda – Arthropods
Subphylum Hexapoda – Hexapods
Class Insecta – Insects
Order Hymenoptera – Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies
Superfamily Cynipoidea
Family Cynipidae – Gall Wasps
Tribe Cynipini
Genus Disholcaspis
Species ?? Gall Wasp
Hover Fly
Often mistaken for a wasp, this is a good case of mimicry, however the hover fly is incapable of stinging and it performs useful ecological functions.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Suborder: Brachycera
Section: Aschiza
Superfamily: Syrphoidea
Family: Syrphidae
possibly Genus and species Syrphus ribesii
Latreille, 1802
Pacific Dampwood Termites: Zootermopsis angusticollis
A dead fir tree on the south side of the property had broken off and fallen during the winter. Removal of a piece of bark turned up a horde of termites doing a great job of returning the tree to the earth.
Zootermopsis angusticollis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Isoptera
Family: Termopsidae
Genus: Zootermopsis
Species: Z. angusticollis
Zootermopsis angusticollis Hagen, 1858
Bald-faced-Hornet : Dolichovespula-maculata.
This one showed up on our deck window this morning. Caution: These wasps are very aggressive when defending their paper-house nest.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Vespidae
Genus: Dolichovespula
Species: D. maculata
Dolichovespula maculata (Linnaeus, 1763)
Phenology: May 5 flowering native plants
Today’s new bloomers on the farm:
Native Plants of Metchosin- blooming this week
This past week brought the emergence of flowering on several more of the native plants we have on the farm.
Eastern Yellow jacket wasp : Vespula pensylvanica
I had not seen this very large wasp until today. Now I realize it is an Eastern Yellow-jacket wasp (Vespula pensylvanica). At this time of years , the queen, the only one to survive the winter, emerges from her overwintering spot and starts to organize for establishing a colony.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Suborder: Apocrita
Family: Vespidae
Genus: Vespula
Subgenus: (Paravespula)
Species: V. pensylvanica
Binomial name
Vespula pensylvanica Saussure, 1857
Frogs in Metchosin
This week I took pictures of the two species of frogs which I frequently see here in Metchosin : Both add to the chorus in the spring from our pond beside our house.
