Got this info searching for the name of the bug online. The bug in my picture is identical to the one in the picture provided with this info. "The African Painted Bug, Bagrada hilaris, was first observed in Southern California in 2008." It is an invasive species that apparently poses a threat to plants in the cabbage family.

Small white/pink flower that contains a green stripe in the middle of the petals and is also kind of fuzzy. It has stem like features coming out of the flower that has a small pink dot at the end. It blooms between March and November. It grows in between trails and bushes and is Native to the U.S.

This lovely wildflower is common around the streets of Pasadena. Experimenting with macro -- think I'd prefer more DOF.

plants.usda.gov considers this native, & I 'd take that as definitive, but Calflora , also an authoritative source, lists it as European. Anyone out there with an informed opinion? How should I tag it?

Will ya look at the balls on that squirrel! (Sorry, just couldn't resist.)

And yes, not long after, I bought a squirrel guard. Cute, but I couldn't afford to keep feeding them!

Native to eastern US, but introduced in Calif., and probably displacing the native species here.