More Insects
If you look closely, you may be surprised at how many insects are present in the Elfin Forest. Most are small and easy to overlook. Below are photos of a few species that you might see.
Bombus vosnesenskii
- Large fuzzy bees
- Black and yellow
- A colony nests in the ground
- One brood per year
- Click HERE to read more
Callirhytis quercuspomiformis
- Adults are 0.25 inch in size
- A chemical caused by the wasp makes the oak tree grow excess tissue into an apple shaped gall
- Larvae inside feed on the tissue
- Mature larvae burrow out through a hole and fly away as adult wasps
- Look closely at oak branches and you will see many old galls from the wasps
Dylan Wheeler
Family Coccinellidae
- Tiny in size
- Feed on soft bodied insects like aphids
- Voracious appetites
- Over 450 species in N. America
Bembix americana
- 0.75 – 1.0 inches long
- Green and black stripes
- Solitary, nests in sand
- Eats flies and mosquitos
Family Cercopidae
- Nymphs (immature forms) make frothy white masses on plants
- Froth hides nymphs from predators as they grow
- Froth can be seen in early summer
- Adults resemble leaf hoppers, 1/3 inch long
Selena Carroll
Argia vivida
- 1.5 – 2.0 inches long
- Males are vivid blue
- Fold wings against body at rest
- Eat soft bodied flying insects, like mosquitos or flies
- Active April to October in California