billhubick's Identifications

Link to fabulous Caterpillar photo/observation by INat @ earth_tide: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/207273140

California Sister (Adelpha californica) Some references call it Adelpha bredowii. It is a medium to large size butterfly in the Nymphalidae family. Wing Span is 2.5-3 inches. Habitat is oak woodland. Larval food plants are Coast Live Oak and Canyon Oak. It has 2-3 flights, April-October. They are common in California, but can also be found in western Nevada and Oregon, as well as in northern Baja California. The upper surfaces of their wings are dark brown to black with wide cream white bands dissecting both wings and two orange patches near the tips of the forewings. The underside is variously colored with browns, blue, orange, and white. A. californica is unpalatable to predators.

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, Chris Tenney and Jan Austin, August 2023, pp. 144-145.

eButterfly: https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/species/profile/648

Butterflies and Moths of North America: "Identification: Superficially similar looking above to Lorquin's Admiral (Limenitis lorquini) but can be readily separated by the lower placement of the orange forewing patch and the blue lines on the ventral surface of the wings.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various Oaks (Quercus genus)
Habitat: Occurs in foothills and mid-elevation mountains in oak woodland and mixed coniferous forests, often along the edges of woods or in riparian canyons with small streams."

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Adelpha-californica

Bug photographs from the U.S/Canada for I.D: https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Adelpha+californica

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, pp. 192-193.
(calls it Adelpha bredowii)

Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America. Brock and Kaufman, 2003, p. 212.

Butterflies & Their Favorite Flowering Plants: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park & Environs, Lynn and Gene Monroe, 2004, p. 83.

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BUTTERFLY and CATERPILLAR (Annotated References):

In California, there are about 240 species of butterflies. There are more than 3,000 species of MOTHS, which represent 4 suborders in about 50 families. Butterflies have clubbed antennae, moths do not. Many moths are nocturnal, but not all.

Field Guide to California Insects, by Kip Will, J. Gross, D. Rubinoff , J. Powell, 2nd ed., 2020 (Lepidoptera, pp. 347-426)

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, by Chris Tenney and photograher Jan Austin, August 2023 and companion website: https://www.montereybutterflies.online/

Glossary of Butterfly (and Moth) Terminology: https://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/resources/glossary

eButterfly: (2115+ species) https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/observations/explore

BugGuide: Butterflies and Moths (U.S. and Canada) clickable categories or use search bar: https://bugguide.net/node/view/57

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species_search

Butterflies of Central and Northern California, a laminated pamphlet (guide to common and notable species) by Jim Brock,, 2023

Caterpillar Anatomy diagram and Butterfly Basics: https://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/activities/printouts/caterpillarprintout.shtml Life Cycle of a Butterfly: Egg --> Larva (the caterpillar) --> Pupa (the chrysalis or cocoon) --> Adult.

Caterpillars: INaturalist Project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-caterpillars

Wagner's Caterpillars of Western North America (coming soon) "1450+ species accounts in progress" INat thebals 6/6/23.

Far distant view of 2 female Gadwalls swimming in Mudhen Lake.
FEMALE. Link to male Gadwall observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/203274154

Gadwall (Mareca strepera) is a migratory, dabbling duck in the Anatidae family that is 51cm (20 inches) long. Male is mostly gray, with white belly, black tail coverts, pale chestnut on wings, and dark gray bill. Females have mottled brown plumage that resembles female mallard, but Gadwall’s belly is white, forehead is steeper, and upper mandible is gray with orange sides. Both sexes have white inner secondaries that may show as a small patch on the swimming bird, and helps to identify the species in flight. Gadwall is typically found in pairs or small flocks in shallow wetlands, ponds, or bays.

Ebird with species description, range map and sound recordings: https://ebird.org/species/gadwal

Xeno-canto Bird songs, sound recordings, and species range map: https://xeno-canto.org/species/Mareca-strepera

Audubon Guide to North American Birds https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/gadwall

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 7th ed., 2017, pp. 28-29.

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 2008, pp. 22-23, 46.

Monterey Birds, Don Roberson, 2nd ed. 2002, sponsored by Monterey Peninsula Audubon Society, p. 130.

The Cornell Lab (Birds in U.S. and Canada) https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Gadwall/#

Merlin Bird ID (great app available for Iphones) by The Cornell Lab (Bird ID help for 8,500+ species) https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/

Comprehensive Feather I.D. tools and more: https://foundfeathers.org/resources/

Found Feathers (Worldwide): https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/idtool.php

INaturalist Waterfowl Project: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/waterfowl-and-herons-of-western-america