R: My excellent crew of friends participating in my CalNat project!
Today I went Naturing for my Capstone Project! The purpose of the project was to get a group together (iNat pros and newbies) for some Community Science in The Presidio. We specifically were looking for the Common Ringlet, which I learned from Presidio Trust wildlife department folks is what they’re currently releasing and tracking just above El Polin Spring right now.
We also kept a lookout for the Coastal Green Hairstreak, any other butterflies, the Western Fence Lizard, and the Greater Bee Fly.
My excellent crew of friends participated in about a 2 hour excursion through El Polin Spring, up to the Ecology Trail (lower), then back to complete the El Polin Loop. We saw White-crowned Sparrows, Twinberry Honeysuckle, Anna’s and Allen’s Hummingbirds, Orange Bush Monkeyflower, a Gray Buckeye butterfly, Thimbleberry, TONS of Variable Checkerspots (including two mating!), Western Blue-Eyed Grass, Douglas Irises, hoardes of Bumble Bees, Western Bluebirds, Western Fence Lizards, and…
The Common Ringlet! We saw four total, I believe. MAYBE it was just three. But, we’re contributing valuable data to the Presidio Trust folks! For SCIENCE! AND, we ALSO saw a Coastal Green Hairstreak. Not too shabby!
We also saw Bushtits, a Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Band-tailed Pigeons, California Scrub-Jays, California Lady Beetles, Pineapple-Weed, Osoberry berries, and a Koch’s Wolf Spider (?) with a bajillion babies on its back as it crossed our path!
Super full two hours, I must say. So fun to do this project with a group of fantastic folks up for staring at fields of grass for butterflies. Super grateful for their time and help with my Capstone Project!! THANK YOU SO MUCH, FRIENDS!!!
The Afternoon Naturalist 