crawling insect
11-segment
13 mm length
3 mm width
2mm tip (11th segment) glowing while in dry grass, stopped glowing soon after being removed from grass
I found this guy (or girl?) in some wild grassland in northern Sonoma County, CA (38.642086 lat, -122.855703 long) just after dusk.
You'll notice its body is divided into a head + 11 segments - the first 3 appear to be its main body and the next 8 I would call its "tail," though every segment seems to have legs so I think technically that means it doesn't really have a tail?
Here's the cool part: When I found it, its 10th and 11th segments - the very tip - were glowing phosphorescent green, like a firefly. There were no others like it anywhere nearby (within ~10m).
I've lived here for 20 years and have never seen anything quite like it.
Any clues?
medium sized tree, with olive-looking buds and leaves. Smells good too!
Various flowers overun the railroad yard in Healdsburg, California.
Not sure which species, but seems like a lot of them this spring.
Everywhere in the area. Just rained. This patch is growing on a valley oak.
About head height growing on a valley oak. A few more in the area. About five inches across for the first picture. Two inch for the second.
Don't have my fungi book with me. If anyone wants to be more specific please go ahead.
Growing on a Valley oak, in the shade. east side of the tree. Lotts of small ants and other fungi on the same trunk.
Doesn't show in the picture 'cause of the low light but the head flashed its distinctive red. Near dusk. One or two more in the area.
On an oak tree trunk around dusk. near a creek bed that is drying out.
Last picture of the day and then the battery died. Dusk. There were about three other Mocking birds hanging out in the black berry bush.
Don't think these are intended to be part of the park landscaping. Looks like they found their way here.
