Photo of Monkshood alone would have made the day worthwhile, but we also got to climb Spirit Rock and see lots of other flowers and bugs. The interactions among plants, animals and fungi left the strongest impression on me. While the many splashes of color were impressive, such as fields of Scarlet Gilia, Pennyroyal, or Mule's Ears, it was even more fun to puzzle over which butterflies seemed to land on only one species of flower and which ones seemed to be generalists. Also, while attempting to photograph a checkerspot butterfly on a Mule's Ear, we discovered the butterfly was being eaten by a Goldenrod Crab Spider. Yum. Also, there were many types of lichens on display from the colorful, fruticose and foliose species on tree bark to the many pastel and bright colors of crustose varieties on the rocks. Lichens, of course, are symbiotic pairings of fungi and algae and are important decomposers and soil-makers. The spittle bugs, a stage in the life of a type of beetle, were present on many different flowering plants. The "spittle," which actually comes out of the "other" end, helps prevent dehydration as well as provide camouflage. We poked some spittle aside in order to see what type of beetle was inside and to watch it cover itself again with a new secretion. We had been showing the kids in camp Ponderosa Pine cones these pst few weeks and talking about how they differed from the Jeffrey. On this day we walked through some great stands of huge, aromatic Jeffrey pines and got to photograph some beautiful, big cones. Remember: "Gentle Jeffrey; Prickly Ponderosa."
I have often wondered about the "spittle" bugs..many in garden...I have never seen them eat the plants, but not sure what they do when they become beetles..any info?
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