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What
Mantises (Order Mantodea)Observer
missmickDescription
A mantis ootheca; specific mantis unknown. Approximately 3/4” long. Found on a bamboo branch.
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Common Coqui (Eleutherodactylus coqui)Observer
missmickDescription
Update: the E. Coquí frog was captured by a licensed herpetologist who lives here; he will transport it to the Natural History Museum on 8-24-23. He is the photographer of the two images.
This creature has been chirping since the rain from the tropical storm in LA ended. Chirping only heard at night.
The herpetologist found that the owner of the condo where the coquí was located had recently brought home a plant from Rolling Greens Nursery.
Photos / Sounds
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Oak Bracket (Pseudoinonotus dryadeus)Observer
missmickDescription
Guessing this is an oak bracket. A ring of them encircles the location where a Coast Live Oak was removed some time ago. Located on the property of a condo community.
What
Luna Moth (Actias luna)Observer
missmickDescription
Shared by a friend visiting family in NoLa. NO idea whatsoever on ID and this is iNaturalist’s top suggestion.
What
Dwarf Tawny Wave (Cyclophora nanaria)Observer
missmickDescription
This is my best guess at species; the color in the image is fairly accurate, so this is a darker coloration of the species?
Possibly Dwarf Tawny Wave? Notice the prominent pairs of wing spots, and the dotted wing borders.
Photos / Sounds
What
Sassacus vitisObserver
missmickDescription
Beautiful little thing—It was very iridescent pale gold.
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Large Carpenter Bees (Genus Xylocopa)Observer
missmickDescription
Actually photographed by a neighbor. No clue about this critter, because the ID suggestion function here isn’t working at the moment.
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Guinea Paper Wasp (Polistes exclamans)Observer
missmickDescription
Possibly p. exclamens or dorsalis? Note tricolor antennae; amber/orange tips
Quite large—about 7/8” abdomen tip to head.
Photos / Sounds
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Torpedo Bug (Siphanta acuta)Observer
missmickDescription
Is this the nymph or larva of a torpedo bug?
What
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)Observer
missmickDescription
Actual location of the butterfly was on Village Green property, in our Community Garden. 🙂
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Bold Jumping Spider (Phidippus audax)Observer
missmickDescription
Biggest p. audax I’ve ever seen!
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Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)Observer
missmickDescription
Small flock of Cedar waxwings, approx. two dozen
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Torpedo Bug (Siphanta acuta)Observer
missmickDescription
Small pale six-legged insect with “furry” white tail and arrowhead shaped body. Not winged and apparently not much of a hopper/jumper because it never jumped off my hand even when I moved around to find my camera. Found in my patio. No ideas at all on ID.
Photos / Sounds
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Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)Observer
missmickDescription
UPDATE: Opossum was tested and found to have died from canine distemper. Dead adult female opossum—no apparent trauma. Found at base of tree near unit 5251 in Court 15. Can a necropsy be arranged? Carcass has been double bagged and frozen. I suspect poisoning.
Photos / Sounds
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Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana)Observer
missmickDescription
Saw small groups of Western Tanagers several times quite close to my home—twice, feeding from the blossoms in a bottlebrush tree, and once right in front of my unit, frolicking for some time in the sprinklers. I have video to share if there’s somewhere to post it.
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Western Giant Swallowtail (Heraclides rumiko)Observer
missmickDescription
I’d love to know which kind of Swallowtail this is. The markings are different from those of an Anise swallowtail. Giant? Western Giant?
Photos / Sounds
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Mantids (Family Mantidae)Observer
missmickDescription
Found on inside of my patio door after I’d closed it. Nearly 4 inches long nose to tip of tail.
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Spotted Orbweaver (Neoscona crucifera)Observer
missmickDescription
Golden yellow Orb Weaver-type spider. Six-spotted Orb Weaver? Said be be large, possibly as big as a dollar coin by my neighbor, who took the photo.
Photos / Sounds
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Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)Observer
missmickDescription
Honeybee colony that had built a hive inside an antique City of Los Angeles utility box. The hive had been there anywhere from several months to a couple of years, and the box was filled with honeycombs and bees. Jared Anderson, a beekeeper with Bee Green Natural Bee Removal, came out to collect and relocate the bees on July 10, 2018.
Photos / Sounds
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Plusiine Looper Moths (Subfamily Plusiinae)Observer
missmickDescription
Unknown caterpillar/pupa. Found as a bright green pupa on underside of a plectranthus leaf it had apparently been eating. Caterpillar was a light bright green color. Pupa was surrounded by strong web. Transferred pupa to this cup so I could observe its transformation. Pupa at this stage is smaller than when I found it, and appears nearly ready to break free.
Images of moth were taken about two hours later, after I discovered that moth had come out of pupa. Moth was approx. 3/4"—5/8" long.
Photos / Sounds
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Coyote (Canis latrans)Observer
missmickDescription
First spotted this dead coyote right next to the southbound lanes of La Brea Blvd., 7/10 of a mile south of Coliseum, today at about 3:00 pm. Anyone who wants to observe and/or retrieve the remains will need to park in the park driveway entry area just south of Veronica St. and walk south around the bend —there is no closer place to park or stop on this high-speed stretch of La Brea. For info on coyote or location, feel free to message me!