When I wasn't photographing mosses and lichens, I was tipping over small rocks and logs to see if any invertebrates were awake. I've already posted the centipedes and millipedes. The top photos here are of a click beetle I found under a rock. Upon first glance, it appeared dead. When I rolled it over onto its back, all six legs were still there, albeit folded up into dead position. However, when these beetles die, the legs don't last long. So, I breathed on it for a while, and it woke up and quickly took off. I was a little disappointed that it just ran rather than perform its characteristic click which feels like a small jolt of electricity. If it had been warmer, I think that might have been its preferred strategy. Next are a couple of photos of a wolf spider that had been living under a dead manzanita stump. These are easy to see when they are running, but when they come to a sudden stop they thoroughly blend into most backgrounds. Under the same stump I found a small colony of ground termites, and the residue from playing with these various bugs on my hand started to attract flies. The one pictured shows it's spongy mouth parts. Yes, I washed my hands before lunch! Click on any photo to view an enlargement.
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