Saturday, May 31, 2014

Returning home late last night fm. fieldwork, I see this out the bathroom window



Some little greenish light glowing from the grass.

Is it a shiny beetle, spotlighted by the bathroom light?
Did my husband drop his cellphone?

So, despite the late hour, I go out w/fast fading flashlight, and see this:
Just a wee thing, and here you can see the bum-bum glowing (left)
despite the bright flash I'm using.

It's a California glowworm! Maybe Ellychnia californica, tho' I really don't know.
It's much smaller than I thought it would be.

Here it is the next day, by my pinky (appropriately enough):

Honestly, SUPER thrilling for me.
I NEVER thought I'd get to see one.

Cute little face...

Myrmecos has an interesting blog entry
about how glowworms, which are actually beetles,
 retain their larval form into adulthood.
An uncommon strategy, as you might imagine.

I feel super fortunate to have seen this very interesting animal.


M.I.A.
So, this a.m. I had to relocate it 'cause of Bear's weed whacking plans.
A little later, having learned that it prefers moist habitat,
I return to its dry location to move it to damper spaces.

And cannot find it.
Make several attempts, sifting through leaf litter.

Then I see a shadow move in front of my head.
Looking up slowly, I see a female western bluebird watching me closely.
Silently, from six feet away...

*sigh*

She was probably looking to see if I was going to lay out
any additional tasty pink morsels for her.

Drat. =( My bad.

Well, perhaps the glowworm is now part of
a tiny western bluebird chick?


Next time I relocate something larval-looking,
I'll be sure & hide it from busy bird parents.

xoxobb

1 comment:

Cool people write inside rectangles....