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| Sand Wasp Nectaring in Seaside Daisies, Balboa Natural Area |
Given that we actually had some sunshine on the westside today I wanted to check out the insect diversity at the Balboa Natural Area, which is just across the Great Highway from Ocean Beach.
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| Sand Wasp (Bembix americana) on Coast Buckwheat |
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| Tiny Pollen-eating Beetles on Beach Strawberry |
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| Stiletto Fly |
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| Plant Bug |
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| I don't know where the plant bugs were going, but they were moving right along. |
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Sand Wasp on Sand
(The only way to get shot of them on the sand was to crouch near a likely landing spot and hope one would drop by within range.) |
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| Bumblebee on Deer Weed |
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| Rove Beetle (Quedius sp.) on Lupine Leaves |
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| More tiny beetles feasting on sea pink flowers. |
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| Cropped from Previous Shot |
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| Several of these beetles were swarming among the rove beetles, and I didn't notice they were two different species until I saw the photos. |
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| Someone passing by told me there were alligator lizards here, and when I saw several of these fence lizards I figured this is what he meant. |
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| Bumblebee on Bee Plant |
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| I spent a lot of time trying to photograph the sand wasps in the sand, since I had entered the area from the south, where there were no seaside daisies. When I finally reached the daisies, it was a piece of cake to photograph the wasps. |
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| Just noting that I saw gophers bringing down wild radish plants in two different places today. Maybe the warm day has made them especially frisky. |
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| First brown pelicans I've seen flying by the Cliff House in a good while. |
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