This is the dragon fly thread.

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Old Dude

This guy is from Nelson Lake.
There were 100's on the shoreline (there are 2 in the picture along with
2 larva skins)

Not in Yosemite, but I don't want to feel left out.

I don't know what this thing is but it was in my kitchen one night

Interesting. It's not a dragonfly for sure though.... It has Antennas

Possibly a crane fly - aka "mosquito hawk". However - that long thing coming out of the body doesn't look like it.

"mosquito hawk" is a common name for dragonfly

I'm thinking it might just be a Wasp.
Also think of just putting it up on bugguide.net and let them tell us...

joe_schmo wrote:

> "mosquito hawk" is a common name for dragonfly

I thought it generally referred to crane flies and damsel flies.

>I thought it generally referred to crane flies and damsel flies.

Yeah, sorry...
I think we're both right. Looks like it is used for Crane, Dragon, and Damsel Flies...

Holy Crap. And I thought I was nuts.

After minutes this came up on the bugguide page:

"Nice image of a female giant ichneumon wasp, genus Megarhyssa. She uses that long, whip-like "tail" to lay an egg on the larva of another wasp that bores in dead trees and logs."

Ooops...
Daniel, where are you from? (where'd you take the picture?)
I put it on bugguide and I don't want them to be lead that it is in a locale it's not.
And I don't want to take any credit for the picture either.

Cincinnati. For reference it was probably about 6-8 inches long with the tail/stinger thing. Much larger than the wasps we get around here.

I know I KNOW -- Im breaking the rules again by swerving outside the title of the thread, but no one else will look at my bug pictures!

BTW, my best dragonfly photos are on the Orchids in Yosemite thread if you wanna see 'em (or I can move them here?)

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The body betrays and the weather conspires, hopefully, not on the same day.

>Im breaking the rules again

We have rules here?

What! You only got 2 pictures of dragonflies! Protest.

I guess I'll have to put up some more later tonight or tomorrow.
oops.. by me... I mean my alter ego

Joe schmo: >What! You only got 2 pictures of dragonflies! Protest.<

I became obsessed with Praying Mantis when I kept them as pets, so I have hundreds of pix of them (even tho I prefer dragon flies)

Bee

Bee wrote:

(even tho I prefer dragon
> flies)
>

Me too, they're a lot crunchier and almost taste like chicken.

(just kidding, just kidding...)

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Gary
Yosemite Photo Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/yo

Sierrafan: Me too, they're a lot crunchier and almost taste like chicken. (just kidding, just kidding...)


eeeeeee-yew!!!!

B

EeeeK: >We have rules here?<

Something about talkin' about stinky orchids when the thread says (stinky)orchids and not talkin' about bears when yer supposed to be backpacking in Spring

B

Well Daniel... you got "female giant ichneumon wasp, genus Megarhyssa"
in Cincinnati... hope you're not mad I put it on bugguide.net.
I put your name as copyright.

And from the quickness of the response... if you got bugs they can identify them lickity split!

12 Spotted Skimmer

You can find these at the pond before Beehive in the spring
(at least that is where this was taken).
I've seen them many times there and also at the pond on your
way down into Pate Valley...

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Everything I know I learned from

The "lagoon" at Kibbie is great for them.

What beautiful eyes you have:

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Everything I know I learned from

Bill-e-g: 12 Spotted Skimmer

Thankx for the name of this gem; I have been chasing this particular variety because his coloring is the same as my school colors years ago. That powder blue mixed with the black is just the best when viewed in flight.

B

Ok... I got ALOT more dragonflys from Yosemite...

But... let's end it for now with this newt.

It's amazing how these guys seem to just come out of the woodwork
when it starts raining in spring. They're all over the place in the
Northwest part of the park from about 4-6000ft. (at least that is my
personal experience)...

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Everything I know I learned from

Coming out of Rancheria today I spotted my first newt ball just at the edge of the westernmost footbridge at Tiltill Creek. It contained four newts with the fifth one approaching. Sorry, no camera.



Post Edited (03-26-09 20:10)

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Old Dude

Is that the ultra-poisonous California Newt?


Also, thanks for getting my intruder wasp identified. Creepy to know that actually was a wasp. The thing was massive.

dqniel wrote:

> Also, thanks for getting my intruder wasp identified. Creepy
> to know that actually was a wasp. The thing was massive.

It's a stingless wasp apparently. That long thing is an ovipositor, which is used to lay eggs in a host. The larvae apparently hatch and live as parasites - mostly in other insects.

Yeah - I looked it up.

Oh - I took my dragonfly pic at Everglades NP. Not sure if the humidity had anything to do with the damaged wings. They also had these vicious mosquitos everywhere. One bit me right through a heavyweight T-shirt.

>Is that the ultra-poisonous California Newt?

Wow. Yes.
From wiki it's the Sierra Newt.
The picture on wiki was also taken in Yose near Lake Vernon
(got pictures of them swimming in Vernon too )
The little guy above was on the switchbacks up that way.
Yet another example of in nature of a red "thing" being posoinous.
Bear Grylls never mentioned not to eat them!!!
They are ungodly slow which makes alot of sense now that they are posoinous.
(we've hiked plenty at night and there has been times when there
were so many you really had to keep an eye out for them to not step on em)

btw ... we kinda slammed Bear before...
when you do so many crazy things it's bound to happen:
http://skinnymoose.com/moosedroppings/2008/12/09/man-vs-wild-wild-wins-this-encounter/

How about a Spreadwing?:

(got dinner in it's mouth)



(taken on Upper Kibbie Ridge near Sacshe Spring)

I've never seen one of these, but...

The Associated Press
Posted: 03/24/2009 01:51:46 PM PDT


CARSON CITY, Nev.—A bill designating the Vivid Dancer Damselfly as Nevada's official state insect has won unanimous support in the state Senate and is on its way to the Assembly.
Sen. Joyce Woodhouse, D-Henderson, and Assemblyman Lynn Stewart, R-Henderson, co-authored SB166, which got quick action in the Senate following its March 4 introduction.

Fourth grade students from John R. Beatty Elementary school in Las Vegas won a statewide contest to select the 1 1/2-inch-long winged creature and chose it because it is blue and silver, the official state colors of Nevada.

I'm pretty surprised you haven't seen one. They are very common.



ok... well... I'm pretty sure this is it but then again I thought it was
just ye old pain "blue damselfly"

(from Kibbie Lake) You see these guys flying around like mosquitos (thick)

Usually areas of Nevada I hang out around don't have much in the way of water...I really thought the Mormon Cricket would have been a better choice, but, well a bunch of fourth graders voted for the dragonfly (and that doesn't count the state legislature).

mrcondron:> I spotted my first newt ball just at the edge of the westernmost footbridge<

In case there is another person out there who does not know what a "newt ball" is, here is an interesting little article to explain:


http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20031104/ai_n14563414

B



Post Edited (03-26-09 19:24)

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The body betrays and the weather conspires, hopefully, not on the same day.

Bee wrote:

> mrcondron:> I spotted my first newt ball just at the edge of
> the westernmost footbridge<
>
> In case there is another person out there who does not know
> what a "newt ball" is, here is an interesting little article to
> explain:
>
>
> http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20031104/ai_n14563414

I live near Tilden Park and last weekend I forgot whether or not South Park Drive was closed for newt crossing season. It was and I had to keep on going until I got to Golf Course Road.

Soon it'll be time for these guys to hit the road:



http://yosemitephotos.net/main.php/v/misc/sh-dscn1811.jpg.html

Newt-jam,
Similar to a problem in Waterton some years ago with long toed salamander:

http://www.watertoninfo.com/r/salamand.html

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The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan

It all comes back to Half Dome!

newt-->salamander-->salamander in Yosemite--> Mt Lyell Salamander-->Half Dome.








http://www.californiaherps.com/identification/salamandersid/salamanders.id2.html

http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/yosemite_nature_notes/46/2/hydromantes.html

http://www.californiaherps.com/salamanders/pages/h.platycephalus.html

And the final obvious question:
Is the Mt Lyell Salamander visible from Patterson??



Post Edited (03-26-09 20:43)

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The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan

Yes they are.

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Old Dude

Frank,

You are evil.

Jim

tomdisco wrote:

> Frank,
>
> You are evil.

Is that a bad thing?

eeek,

Only in respect to that infamous "Can you see it now?" thread.

Jim

YPW: >I live near Tilden Park and last weekend I forgot whether or not South Park Drive was closed for newt crossing season. It was and I had to keep on going until I got to Golf Course Road.<

Do they still run the Grizzly Peak Century (100 mi bike ride)? I never noticed Newt ball during the ride, but it could have been too late in the season.

B

Hey! That spider belongs in the "Orchid" post!

Here's my best Green Darner. A female kicking it in Tilden Canyon just
west of Macomb Ridge.

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Everything I know I learned from

wow, jim, it must be after 2:00am where you are!

B

bee,

Yup, sleepless in Raleigh.

Jim

tomdisco: Yup, sleepless in Raleigh.

the late late LATE show!! I am stuck at the keyboard for a presentation that won't flow through my fingers..

B

Ok... Last one... I promise...

but now I have 2 things I have to really keep my out for this year:
Lyell Salamander
Pika (we think we've seen them but ... dang squirels!!!)



Pretty sure this guy was in Merced River Canyon b/t Moraine Dome and LYV

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Everything I know I learned from