Insects and Spiders of
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

Harlequin Bug | Yucca Moth | Hymenoptera | Velvet Ant | Ants | Harvester Ant | Cochineal Spittle Bugs | Beetles | Five-Spined Engraver Beetle | Bee Killer | Beefly | Green Darner Snakefly | Brown Mantispid | Sand Roach | Parcoblatta | Cicada | Saltmarsh Water Boatman Green Stink Bug | Psuedoscorpion | California Oak Gall Wasp | Silver Argiope Spider
Green Lynx Spider

Introduction

The five plant communities in the Reserve support many diverse species of insects, spiders, and other arthropods, but given the small size of most they are easy to overlook. However, observant visitors who check the trails and trail-side vegetation will be rewarded with interesting observations and insights into plant-arthropod relationships.

While a few insects can usually be found even in the winter months, spring and summer are the best times for observing insects and summer and fall the best for seeing two of the Reserve’s common large spiders.

NOTE: All plant and animal life in the Reserve is protected. Please do not collect any insects or other arthropods.

Visitor Center Display

Butterflies are among the most colorful and readily seen insects. Visitors interested in seeing many of those common in the San Diego area will find an excellent display of 61 butterflies in a case on the south wall of the Visitor Center (turn left after entering through the main entrance). This display was prepared by David Marriott, who is director of a monarch butterfly program in Encinitas dedicated to monarch research and preservation.

Visitors interested in the insects and spiders that can be seen by just walking around in the Reserve will find a notes and pictures in a bookcase containing notebooks on Reserve plant and animal life (the Lodge Docent or Reserve staff will point out its location). These notes were prepared by Ron Lyons based on his observations from 1992 through 1998. This gives an indication of the diversity of species here, but it is not meant to be interpreted as a complete survey.

Some Insects Often Seen in the Reserve

Harlequin Bug return to top

The Harlequin Bug (also called Cabbage Bug) is found throughout most of the US In agricultural areas it feeds on the juices of cruciferous plants such as cabbage and on other plants such as beans and grapes. In our area it is found on members of the mustard family, telegraph weed, and in TPSR especially on bladderpod. One can find several bladderpods along the Guy Fleming and Beach Trails. These plants have yellow flowers and the seed pods look like two inch punching bags in need of pumping up. If one looks closely at the leaves, it may be possible to see harlequin bug eggs in tidy little rows. The bug hatches out of the egg looking a lot like the adult: shiny black with bright red patterns. According to Hogue, in a laboratory environment the eggs hatch in 6 to 11 days, the nymphs undergo 5 moltings in 53 days, and the adults live 70 to 80 days. The bright patterns of red, white and black change with each molt. Assuming the host plant is healthy, a Harlequin may spend its entire life on one plant. The adults have wings and can fly, but the typical defensive response of the bug when touched is to drop to the ground. It is very difficult to catch one of the bugs with your fingers. The only way is to put your hat under it and then touch it. The insect will then fall into your hat. After inspecting this or any other bug, it should be returned to its habitat.

Yucca Moth return to top

The yucca moth is very important in the life cycle of the yucca plant. As in other plants, the stigma is the part of the flower which receives the pollen. In the yuccas it is way down at the bottom of a long, hollow tube. A bee can't get to it. Neither can a hummingbird. Only a female yucca moth can pollinate a yucca blossom. First she uses specialized mouth parts to collect pollen . Then she drills a hole through the wall of an ovary of a different yucca blossom and lays her eggs inside. Then she goes to the top of the pistil and forces a ball of pollen down the tube. Now the seeds begin to grow, and the moth eggs hatch. The larvae eat the seeds, but nor all of them. The larvae drill their way out of the seed pod. Then they spin threads and lower themselves to the ground and form cocoons in the soil. In the spring they mature and come out of the ground as little white moths just before the next flowering season. The yucca survives through its remaining seeds. Each of the species, the moth and the yucca, benefit from this process.

*The material on the harlequin bug and the yucca moth was excerpted from "Notes from the Naturalist," by Hank Nicol, May 15, 1980 and April 10, 1982. Additional information on insects of interest in the Reserve, such as the cynipid wasp, cochineal scale, and various spiders and ants can be found in Califomia Insects, by Jerry A. Powell and Charles L. Hogue, University of California Press, 1979.

Hymenoptera return to top

When we think of the Hymenoptera - Bees, Ants and Wasps, we think of the great role they play in the pollination of plants. But that's not the whole story - Hymenoptera have reached a pinnacle in their behavioral response to the pressures of defense, feeding, nesting and reproduction. They are the “smart insects”. Honey Bees, with their language, Sphecid Wasps with their specialization of prey and nesting habits, and the indomitable Ant society, which does it all. Ants have communication systems, harvest, farm, raid, raise livestock, keep pets, protect plants and build elaborate cities. Kind of like the peopleants. At Torrey Pines the ants are the primary food for the horned lizard, western skink and red-shafted flicker.

To find where and how exactly the Hymenopteran fits into the system, is to sit on the beach and count grains of sand. Each has their specialty of habitats, hosts, ranges and food. The largest group of Hymenopterans are rarely seen. They are the families of the Micro-hymenoptera which are mainly the parasitoids of the superfamily Chalcidoidea. The Myrmaridae, or fairyflies, which are primarily egg parasites, are so small, 0.21mm, that they can fly through the eye of a needle - and they are common to Torrey Pines Reserve and most parts of the world. Click here for Hymenoptera Gallery

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Velvet Ants – What appear to be small wingless bumblebees having reddish to whitish hair are sometimes seen wandering about on the trails. While called velvet ants because of their appearance, they are actually female wasps in one wasp family. The males, which have wings, are seldom seen. Don’t handle these insects, for they can give a painful sting.

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Ants - During an authorized study in 1997-98 of the impact of the Argentine ant in the Reserve, about 30 different species of ants were identified, and additional species are believed to be here. Unfortunately the invasive Argentine ant is spreading its territory in the Reserve, displacing native ants including harvester ants ,the preferred food of the coast horned lizard.

Harvester Ant (Pogonomyrmex californicus) return to top

Common throughout California, this ant is usually pale reddish color, but some workers in Southern California are black and reddish. Workers are about 1/4" in length. This species has a large head with long hairs on its chin that aid in removing soil during excavation in the ground. The nest is generally a low flat crater in sandy soil. Workers seal the nest entrances at night and reopen them in the morning. These ants gather seeds, which are stored in the nests, the entrances to which are frequently surrounded by husks. If water gets into the seed areas, the ants will move the seeds to keep them dry, and after a rain they may carry the seeds to the surface to dry. Harvester ants can bite and sting. The sting can produce a red, painful inflammation which lasts several days. -John Carson

References: Powell and Hogue, California Insects Hogue C.L., Insects of the Los Angeles Basin

Cochineal (Dactylopius) return to top

Female Dactylopius sp. Males are winged and pale

The cochineal scale insect belongs to the order Homoptera, which includes cicadas, leaf hoppers, aphids, and scale insects (so called because the females live under scale-like coverings on plants). The cochineal lives on prickly pear and similar cacti in the southern part of the US and south into Central and South America. Area species include D. opuntiae and D. confusus and are responsible for the white waxy lumps on local prickly pear.

A similar species, D. coccus, was a source of red dye for Mexican Indians for centuries before arrival of the Spaniards. Because of its superior color and durability, it became commercially important, and the cactus-insect combination was raised in the Mediterranean and elsewhere for dye use until synthetic dyes were developed in the last century. The insects reach the adult phase several weeks after hatching from eggs. The male undergoes metamorphosis into a small flying insect. It has no mouth parts, so it lives only about a week, during which time it mates with as many females as possible. Although the female grows, it remains in a larval-like form and becomes sexually mature after several weeks. It does not have wings, and its vestigial legs are not functional. It feeds on fluid extracted from the cactus pads and resembles a purplish blob 1/8" to 1/4" long. The females secrete from their abdomens a waxy, whitish material that provides a protective covering against desiccation and predators. According to Ross (see ref.), females may live up to three years, while Milne (ref.) states that the females die after laying eggs. The females contain a reddish material that is the source of the dye. Ross described the traditional process of dyeing used by the Zapotec Indians in Mexico. The female cochineal insects were collected, briefly immersed in hot water to kill the insects and dissolve the waxy coating, and then dried in the sun. The dried insects were then ground to a fine powder and added to boiling water containing leaves of the tejute tree (Miconia argentea) and lime juice. Yarn was then placed in the mixture for a few hours, removed and dried, and then washed. The color obtained depended on the amounts of the ingredients and immersion time. Lime juice provided the acid needed in the dye process to be a color intensifier and to "fix" the color in the yarn. Since the Spaniards introduced citrus plants to Mexico, it is not known what the Indians used prior to the availability of citrus juice.

Cochineal Trivia - 1) The red material makes up about 10% of the weight of the dried insects. 2) About 70,000 dried insects weigh a pound, 3) Three ships that sank off Louisiana in 1766 were reported carrying 600,000 lbs. of cochineal! 4) In the 1980s Peru was the main source of cochineal, with 1 lb. of dried insects costing about $50 ($150 in 1995). CHEMISTRY - Since the blood of most insects is colorless or slightly green or yellow (only a few insects have blood hemoglobin), what is the red material in cochineal? Analysis in 1910 yielded the formula which is called carminic acid (presumably for its color). It has a very bitter taste. -John Carson

Cochineal References: Ross, G.N.: "The Bug in the Rug", Natural History, pp 66-73, March 1986. Hogue, C.L.: Insects of the Los Angeles Basin, p 136, 1993. Romoser, W.S. & Stoffolano, J.G.: Science of Entomology, 1994. Milne, L. & .M.: Audubon Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders, 1992.

Spittle Bugs return to top

Adult spittle bugs exhibit a specialized morphology, having two bullae, or false eyes at the caudal end of the wings which could confuse potential predators as to which way they are facing. Though, it might also just be an inherited trait, and simply a relict leftover from larger and earlier species. -Don McIntire

Spittle bugs are found throughout the US, with about 6 species in California. During the nymph stage, the nymph extracts fluid from the host plant and excretes spittle and air, which flow over the nymph's body and mix with secretions from the abdomen. The result is a long-lasting bubbly mixture that covers the nymphs. This appears to serve two purposes: it prevents desiccation, and it conceals the nymphs from predators. In the adult stage, the insects are about 1/2" long and superficially resemble leaf hoppers. While the adult can fly, it usually "hops" about on plants and rests froglike with its head elevated. Because of these features, the adult is often called a froghopper, and in field guides both names are used. Adult coloration is drab, with brownish shades being typical. While local species appear to have no adverse effects on plants in TPSR, large infestations in agricultural areas can cause significant reduction in crop yield. - John Carson

Photo by Margaret Fillius Clastoptera spp.

References: Hogue C.L., Insects of the Los Angeles Basin. Zim and Cottam: Insects (Golden Guide). Milne, L. & M.M.: Audubon Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. Berenbaum: Ninety-nine Gnats, Nits, and Nibblers

Beetles (Coleoptera) return to top

Click here for Beetle Gallery

What an interesting group of creatures are the beetles! Many beetle species find their homes and make their living in the varied habitats of Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve - some at the beach, some in the marshlands, some in the sands or plants of the Coastal Sage Scrub, others in the Torrey Pine woodlands.

On the sandy upland trails, hikers frequently encounter the Armored Stink Beetle. If its movement is suddenly blocked, as by a shoe, it will usually lower its head and raise its abdomen and may release a bit of smelly fluid from the tip of its abdomen as a defensive tactic. The Stink Beetle is one of many insects that live on decaying plant matter, and help to return nutrients to the soil to complete the cycle of life.

On the beach, the Kelp Beetle feeds on the seaweed that washes up, and the beautiful Pictured Rove Beetle comes out at night to feed on other insects that make their living in the kelp. Down in the marshlands there lives the amazing Sexton Beetle. This little insect, together with its mate, will actually bury a mouse or other small animal, and guard this treasure while their young are growing up! Imagine how much energy that would take!!

Still other beetles help to decompose the dead wood of fallen trees, or prey on other insects that can be harmful to the trees. In these ways - by recycling plant and animal material, by preying on each other, and by being prey for larger insects, birds and animals, these creatures are an important and vital part of the cycle of life.

Be sure to visit the Beetle Gallery to see and read about a selection of these fascinating and important inhabitants of our world.

Five-spined Engraver Beetle (Ips paraconfusus) AKA The Bark Beetle

Many park visitors ask about the "fire-destroyed" trees they see in Parry Grove or from the Guy Fleming Trail. These trees were not burned, they were killed by the bark beetle (Ips paraconfusus), also called the five-spined engraver beetle. During the 1980's, a combination of drought years and bark beetle infestation killed more than 650 Torrey pine trees. Because Torrey Pines is a Reserve, the policy is to let nature take its course, so the remains of these trees can still be seen in the groves where they died.

The bark beetle is a small insect that bores into the bark of a pine tree and creates egg chambers in the cambium, the living tissue of the tree. The larvae feed on the cambium, pupate and emerge as adults to repeat the cycle. Sometimes 3-4 lifecycles occur in one year. Usually the trees can protect themselves against this invasion by pushing out the insects with sap. But during drought or other times of stress, the trees' defenses are low, and the insects can do enough damage to kill. Observe some of the fallen trees on the sides of Guy Fleming or Razor Point trails. You will see the "engraved" pathways the beetles have made in the wood.

At the time of the infestation in the 1980's, there was much debate about whether and how the staff might intervene to save trees. Some might think it obvious that some intervention should occur to save the rare Torrey pine, but the Reserve is dedicated to preserving and enhancing natural processes, and usually maintains a "hands-off" approach. However, because of the severity of the problem, it was decided to try trapping the beetles. Traps made of cones bated with beetle pheromones (chemicals the insects use to attract mates) were placed in the groves. This was considered the least disruptive way to save the trees. Fortunately, the rains returned and this helped the trees to develop enough sap pressure to expel the beetles. The traps were removed in the mid-1990's, and the groves grew more healthy with seedlings and young trees appearing to replace those which were destroyed. In 2001 the trees became stressed again, and traps have once more been placed at various positions in the Reserve to catch and monitor these beetles.

Other Insects

Some other insects seen are bumblebees, dragonflies, grasshoppers and various plant bugs and beetles. If visitors are at the right places at the right times, they may see special insect activity. For example, in the spring along the bluff part of the Guy Fleming Trail where there is soft sand, visitors may observe the sand wasps digging small tunnels, in each of which an egg will be placed. The developing larvae feed on small insects brought to the tunnels by the adult wasps. Also along this part of the trail in the soft sand, the conical depressions of antlions are often seen. These are the larval form of a flying insect; they are just under the surface at the bottom of the pits, where they feed on any ants or other small insects that fall into the pits.

Photo by Margaret Fillius Sandwasp

When we think of pollination of plants, we usually think of bees, but surprisingly, an equal role is played by the Diptera - Two-winged Flies, Coleoptera - Beetles, and Lepidoptera - Moths and Butterflies.

Some kinds of flies, for instance, are the only pollinators for certain kinds of plants, as the rare Giant Flower-loving Fly, Rhaphiomidas acton, Apioceridae, which has been shown as the primary pollinator for the equally rare and endangered Giant Woolystar, Eriastrum desnsifolium sanctorum in the Santa Ana River Bed. Lepidopterans of the genus Tegeticula, Yucca Moths, are the only pollinators of the Yuccas. Coleoptera, such as the Meloidae, Blister Beetles and Cerambycidae, Longhorn Beetles are in great part responsible for pollinating many plants.

Photos and text below by Don McIntire

Mallophora fautrix – Bee killer return to top

Adult: 16-18mm.

Order Diptera/ Family Asilidae – Robber Flies

These robust flies, which mimic bumble bees are common to open sunny locations where they await on twigs for passing prey. They will hunt just about any flying insect but favored prey seem to be honey bees, Apis mellifera, which are taken on the wing as they visit flowers. The fly pierces the bee with bladelike mouth parts just behind the head into the thorax, immobilizing by severing the thoracic nerve, and carrying it back to its perch, drinks it dry. Larvae are undescribed.

Heterostylum robustum - Beefly return to top

Adult: 10-12mm.

Order Diptera/ Family Bombyliidae - Bee flies

A widespread species, this bee fly is fairly common to upland/transitional areas of the reserve. It, like other members of this large family, is a parasite. It was seen hovering over the brood burrow of a Ammophila wasp on the old salt panne on the eastern reach of the lagoon as the wasp worked to provision the nest with a caterpillar. The fly would not land on the lip of the burrow, but it hovered in the air above, bent the tip of the abdomen forward and squirted its eggs into the opening. The white eggs are tiny and adhere to the inner wall of the burrow. This might be a behavior to insure that the fly will be in no danger of being caught or stung by the host. The species is described as being an important parasite of the alfalfa bee, Nomia melanderi, in California.

Anax junius – Green Darner return to top

Adult: 70-80mm. Wingspan: 100mm.

Order Odonata/ Family Aeshnidae – Darners

The most conspicuous insects of the freshwater pond community, these large dragonflies are often seen coursing over cattails and bullrushes in their search of prey or mates. And though aquatic in the larval stage, they will also range far from water into urban areas. The predatory naiads, patterned in shades of brown and green live among the stems of submerged vegetation. Eggs are not dropped onto the water’s surface, as with many other dragonflies, but inserted into submerged, water-soaked stems of cattails or bullrushes.

Agulla sp - Snakefly return to top

Adult: to 25mm to wing tips

Order Neuroptera/ Family Raphidiidae – Snakeflies

The snakeflies are common under bark of conifers in the larval stage where they prey on bark beetles and other subcortical insects. The hard-to-see adults are commonly on plants where they prey on many kinds small soft-bodied insects. The long strap like filament seen at the caudal end of the female specimen in the photo is the ovipositor. With this she can probe into the crevices of bark to lay her clusters of eggs. These insects were given their common name because of their habit of raising their heads on the elongated “necks” (prothoracic segment) like a snake that is ready to strike.

Plega signata – Brown mantispid return to top

Adult: 20mm. to wing tips

Order Neuroptera/ Family Mantispidae – Mantis-like lacewings

It has been suggested that these insects are, in the larval stage, internal parasites of Noctuid (looper) moth pupae, (Powell and Hogue, 1979, California Insects). These, like many other members of the Order Neuroptera are nocturnal and often attracted to lights Though rarely noticed, this particular species is very adaptable as to habitat and quite common in Southern California from desert to coast.

Arenivaga sp. – Sand roach return to top

Adult wingless female: 12mm. Adult winged male: 20-30mm. to wing tips

Order Blattodea/Family Polyphagidae - Sand Roaches

Sand and desert roaches feed on a variety of detritus and dead animal materials. The wingless females and immature stages are mistaken as beetles because of their smooth rounded outline. They feed on the surface of the sand from sunset and during the night and will burrow into the sand if disturbed.

Parcoblatta sp. return to top

Adult male: 25mm.

Order Blattodea/ Family Blatellidae – German roaches

Though it belongs to this family, this woodroach is not from Germany, but only related, having the characteristics, (taxa), of those species in Blatellidae. The woodroaches are common to Torrey Pines Reserve as well as eastward in the county in chaparral, oak and coniferous forest where they scavenge in rotting wood. The wingless females are often found under bark of dead trees. This species has not been observed as a household pest.

Okanagana vanduzeei - Cicada return to top

Adult: Body; 24mm.Wingspan; 55mm. Order Homoptera/ Family Cicadidae These large insects make the familiar shrill whine of summer days. It suddenly begins with one and then many, like the hum of a power line. The high-pitched sound is produced by the adult male cicada in a pair of chambers, called tymbals located dorso-laterally on the basal abdominal segment. When fully developed, the root-feeding nymphs emerge from the ground in early spring and climb onto plants for the final molt to adulthood. They can be seen resting on several species of plants but seem to occur most abundantly on Isocoma venetus, goldbush, by the presence of their exuviae clinging to the twigs as pictured. The exuvium, is the cast-off exoskeleton of the nymph at the final molt to adulthood. The massive pincher-like forelegs are used for digging and grasping. This species is most abundant in the lowland and saltmarsh areas of the reserve and ranges in the coastal areas of California.

Trochocorixia reticulata - Saltmarsh Water Boatman return to top

Adult: 2-3.5mm.

Order Hemiptera/ Family Corixidae - Water Boatmen

The saltmarsh water boatman is abundant in still to slow-moving water and shallow tidal pools at the lagoon where it feeds mainly on algae and may also scavenge on animal remains. The mouthparts of the Corixids are different from other true bugs. Instead of sucking juices, they are designed to rasp away and swallow diatoms and other particles of plant and animal food whole. Within the gullet, there is a muscular grinding "mill" called the masticator which processes the food particles before they enter the gut - much like the gizzard of a bird. Eggs are laid on submerged stones, seashells and other hard debris, tethered in place by a short stalk.

Chlorochroa sp. - Green Stink Bug return to top

Adult: 15-18mm.

Order Hemiptera/ Family Pentatomidae - Stink Bugs

These insects are widely distributed and common on a wide variety of native and cultivated plants. The fetid apple odor is familiar to most gardeners. Such odors are widely used in the insect world to warn potential predators that it is not going to be a particularly tasty meal. This defense mechanism has evolved as insects adapted to feeding on plants that contain toxic oils and resins, storing these allomones (defense chemicals) into glands, according to different species, on various parts of their bodies.

Garypus californicus - Psuedoscorpion return to top

Adult: 3- 4.5mm.

Class Arachnida/ Order Psuedoscopionida/ Family Garypidae

These small predators are common to the beach community of the Reserve in the highest intertidal areas under stones or driftwood or in kelp wrack. The pseudoscorpions have poison glands within the large pincher-like chelae instead of a “stinger” like their cousins the true scorpions. The chelae, are comprised of a fixed and a movable finger. The latter is equipped with a small tooth which is hollow like the fang of a snake. This pierces and injects the poison as the pincher grips, thus immobilizing the prey. The movable finger is also equipped with a spinneret, a tiny opening near the tip which produces silk with which the pseudoscorpions spin the coverings of their brood chambers and overwintering cocoons. During times of high winter surf, these tiny animals can be found in crevices higher on the cliffs within these tough cocoons.

Andricus californicus – California Oak Gall Wasp return to top

This little insect is probably among the most widespread of the micro-hymenoptera, specializing in laying its eggs within the young twigs of various oaks which causes the growth of the familiar galls often referred to as oak apples. These, the largest insect galls in California, are usually noticed only after they turn the bright red color and the wasps have emerged. The cross-section pictured shows the larvae clustered near the center in their individual cells with one having emerged through its boring. The spongy interior of the gall is a result of the deformation of the plant’s nutritious phloem cells after oviposition into the, usually, new-growth twig.

The wasp may lay many or just a few eggs, which might be the reason for the varying sizes of galls. The wasp pictured was reared from such a gall with two others. All three emerging wasps were females. And such has also been the case that other galls may yield only males. Why this is has not been fully explained by science, but probably, among other plausible reasons, helps to insure genetic diversity. The tiny white grubs have no legs and move through contractions and extensions of their segmented bodies within the cells as they feed until they finally pupate to become adults.

Other kinds of micro-wasps specialize in laying their eggs in these galls so their young may feed on the defenseless young of the Cynipid wasp. And still others, like the tiny beetle, Ozognathus cornutus, Anobiidae, lives as a commensal and inquiline, or animal which lives in the nest of another, feeding on the tissues of the gall. The beetle is pictured beside the Cynipid female at about a comparable ratio with the host, ranging in size from 1.5 to 2.5mm. The little males are adorned with a delicate pair or horns which arise from the base of the mandibles. These are seen in the lateral view projecting up from the anterior part of the head. Sometimes these little beetles may be attracted to the catkin flowers of willows or oaks in great numbers.

Some Common Spiders in the Reserve

Silver Argiope Spider (Argiope argentata) return to top

Silver Argiope - In coastal Southern Calif. this large orb weaver spider favors the prickly pear cactus for its web location. Most years there are numerous occupied webs in the Reserve. This spider sits near the center of its web, upside down, almost always on the side facing the interior of the cactus. Its long legs are usually kept together in pairs, giving the impression at first of having only 4 legs. The web contains from zero to four thick zigzag sections of silk (called stabilmentum in the singular), always oriented at 45 degrees to the vertical or horizontal axes. The spider changes the number of these sections frequently, sometimes daily. The purpose of the stabilmentum, which reflects ultraviolet light, as do vegetation and the spider, is still not understood. The large spiders are the females; the males are much smaller and occupy smaller webs nearby. The egg sacs are light green in color, somewhat square in shape and flattened; they are attached either in the corners of the webs or on the cactus pads. The prickly pear cacti around the Visitor Center and on the Guy Fleming Trail along Animal Canyon are suggested places to see this spider.

Green Lynx Spider return to top

The best time to look for this spider is in late summer. It is a large hunting spider, greenish in color with noticeable long hairs on its legs, that lies in wait for insects on or near flowers on large plants. The telegraph weed plants by the visitor parking lot are a favored location. About September or early October, the female green lynx deposits eggs in a spherical sac. Unlike many spiders that then move on, the green lynx guards the sac and cuts a slit in it at the proper time so that the young spiders can get out. These tiny spiders, light orange in color, will stay near the sac for maybe a week or so before dispersing. Visitors here at the right time will be treated to the sight of ballooning, in which each young spider spins a long strand of silk, which the breeze picks up and carries the spider away.

Other Spiders

Other common spiders include the sheetweb weavers, which make funnel-shaped webs on the tops of shrubs and in grass, crab spiders that occupy flowers, and jumping spiders.

Useful Field Guides

Insects of the Los Angeles Basin by C. L. Hogue, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles Co.,1993.

California Insects by J. Powell and C. Hogue, U. of Calif. Press, 1979.

Spiders and Their Kin by H. Levi and L. Levi, St. Martin’s Press, 1987.

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