First, the Clerids

 There's a lot more to this story than the Common Checkered Clerid Beetle alluded to in the title.  I was exploring the area between Oakland Camp and Gilson Creek in preparation for leading a nature walk there tomorrow.  What first got my attention on this exploration was the Common Checkered Clerid Beetle not only because it was abundant but because I found it on many different plants.  I wondered if it actually fed on all of them, or used some only as landing pads.  They're good flyers.  I think it's safe to assume that it wasn't eating the pappi of the Salsify seeds in the top photo.  They would consist almost entirely of very dry cellulose.  But the various species of blooming flowers it lands on all could be food. 

 I had to spread a few clusters of flowers on this Brewer's Angelica in order to get a clear shot of the Clerid.  I was actually visiting this particular plant in order to see if the Goldenrod Crab Spider that I had seen here daily from July 1 was still holding fort.  It wasn't.  The last day I saw it was Monday, July 15, and I pictured here.  It's pretty impressive to see a spider in the same spot every day for over two weeks and to see it several times in the midst of devouring the bodily fluids of an insect it has captured.  Their prey can vary from a variety of beetles, flies, butterflies, and even bees two to three times their size.

 Back to the Clerids.  Here's on on a cluster of blooming Narrow-leaved Milkweed.  The Clerids are particularly abundant on this species of milkweed this summer.

 The second insect to get my attention on this trip was the Monarch Butterfly, first on the Narrow-leaved Milkweed (above), then on the Showy Milkweed (below), the latter being the plant it is most often associated with.  In fact, the Showy Milkweed is cultivated and often purchased by gardeners specifically to attract butterflies.  A bonus feature is that the Showy Milkweed has one of the strongest and most pleasant fragrances of any wildflower.

 The next photo is of a Wild Hyacinth gone to seed.  This is one of many species formerly known as Brodiaea and formerly a member of the lily family.  The lilies have been renamed and rearranged many times. 

 A bug I always find photogenic and interesting to watch has the elegant name Small Milkweed Bug.  It looks a lot like the Boxelder Bug which is also common around these parts.  This one is perched at an intersection on a Showy Milkweed plant and the next one, pulled from my archive of a month ago,

 is actually a mating pair on a leaf of the Narrow-leaved Milkweed, found within a few yards of each other, but a month apart.

 Some people think I'm crazy for this next one, but I find Aphids quite photogenic. Especially these bright orange ones that I often see clustered on the Purple Milkweed and the Narrow-leaved Milkweed (shown here).  So far, I've only seen them in abundance and actually drinking from the plant's juices after the flowering is done and the developing seed pods are well-established.  Click on this photo for an enlargement and see if you can find some aesthetic quality to it.

 The California Thistle is abundant and blooming profusely around Oakland Camp, especially along the railroad right-of-way. 

 This next one was the last remaining Leopard Lily in bloom around our favorite destination on the Tollgate Creek Trail.  Beats me why I included it in this series from another spot.  I just liked the photo, and we won't be seeing Leopard Lilies around camp until next summer.  There are probably some still blooming in meadows at higher elevations.

 An interesting flower I'm seeing more often this summer than in summers past is the Grand Collomia.  The cluster of flowers on top of the plant tends to include buds, blooms, and wilted flowers.  They bloom in sequence over a couple of months.  The first photo was taken yesterday, but I pulled the second one from last summer's collection because I just remembered that this flower produces blue pollen.  I think the blue pollen is yet to appear this summer, but the second photo shows a hint of blue toward the upper right hand side of the flower cluster.  You'll need to click for an enlargement.  I'll be watching the Collomia in the coming days and try to catch a more direct photo of this impressive blue pollen.