On rotting wood with Syzygiella autumnalis in humid Thuja forest near alvar. Plants the size of Cephaloziella, but gemmae red and stellate.
In bloom September 8, 2019. In protected woodland canyon. Riparian setting with damp soil. Only one specimen seen. Large leaves. Not sure of ID.
I’m thinking it’s this variety. Leaves lacked the stickiness and appeared more ovate-lanceolate.
Unknown flower alongside disturbed area near the backside of "Bob lake". Occurred near verbal pool though not directly near water
Growing in moist seeping shale alcove along beach. Note: distinctive differentiated distal laminal cell border, leaves large spathulate, proximal margins border by elongate cells, margins recurved in proximal half. BC blue list. Coll. 20-730
Location skewed for protection. With Wayne Armstrong. This population was previously identified by Wayne. He has posted a website all about it which also shows the spores.
My first thought was Q. kelloggii, which I was pretty excited about since it's never been reported from this range, but characters of the leaves and bark don’t quite match up. Leaves generally lack bristles at the lobe tips (though they may be acute), and the bark appears to peel off in plates or sheets (similar to Q. berberidifolia).
Instead, I think this is a hybrid of Q. lobata and Q. berberidifolia, both of which are common nearby. Unfortunately, no acorns were available for inspection.
Leaves persistent, rather thick and leathery. Leaves +/- glabrous beneath? If not, my ID is wrong.
I think.. Growing in serpentine soils
Smells like a mildewy old sponge. “Wartleaf” is a good common name (assuming it’s the correct ID)
By the shores of Lake Elizabeth... this particular bush was teeming with all sorts of pollinators.
Near Sandberg Trail, Los Angeles National Forest.
Weird thickening of one of the stems.
Sandberg Trail/Forest Route 7N23. June 17, 2021.
It’s mating time for the Banana Slugs in the Monterey Pine Forest, on the Monterey Peninsula. On a 3 hour walk today, we saw 44 banana slugs, two pairs were mating, and 8 of them were (the spotted) Button’s Banana Slug. Link to Button's Banana Slug (Ariolimax buttoni): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/190269771
Banana Slugs (Genus Ariolimax) Like many slugs, Banana Slugs are herbivores, eating a wide variety of mushrooms and plant material. At up to 10 inches long, they eat a lot. Banana Slugs play a significant role in seed dispersal. If you pick them up, sticky residual slime on hands is not easily washed off. These slugs are so well known for the relatively large size of their male genitals, that the Slender Banana Slug (Ariolimax dolichophallus) carries a name that literally means “long penis” (dolichophallus).
Everything you ever wanted to know about Banana Slug mating behavior: (Excellent blog with photos!)
The Romantic Lives of Banana Slugs:
https://openspacetrust.org/blog/banana-slug/
"Banana slugs are some of the largest terrestrial slugs on earth, reaching up to 260 mm (10.24 inches) when fully extended. . ."
Interesting and thorough study/comments regarding Banana Slugs by Thomas Everest:
Link: https://www.inaturalist.org/posts/32164-a-note-on-banana-slugs
California Banana Slug (Ariolimax californicus) Endemic in California, US: native and occurs nowhere else.
Conservation Status: Imperiled (N2) in United States (NatureServe). It is pure yellow or brownish-yellow in color without black spots.
Button's Banana Slug (Ariolimax buttoni) Conservation Status: Imperiled (N2N3) in United States.
It usually has a large rounded black spot "button-like" at top center of mantle and scattered, more irregularly shaped black spots on body. It is less neon yellow than other Ariolimax species in the region; it is more dull olive-brown-yellow with black spots.
Slender Banana Slug (Ariolimax dolichophallus) is a large, yellow, endemic slug that is found in shaded, moist Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forest floor duff. The Slender Banana Slug is the school mascot for UCSC. Conservation Status: Imperiled (N2) in United States.
These slugs are so well known for the size of their male genitals that the Slender Banana Slug (Ariolimax dolichophallus) carries a name that literally means “long penis” (dolichophallus).
Pacific Banana Slug (Ariolimax columbianus) "are the second-largest slug in the world at up to 9.8 inches long, and one of the slowest species on the planet with a whopping maximum speed of 6.5 inches per minute. They get their name from their coloring, similar to that of a ripe banana although they’re frequently “overripe” with large, speckled brown spots. Complete with one lung and no spine, you can see why this brightly colored creature seems to take its sweet time moving around our redwood forests."
https://openspacetrust.org/blog/banana-slug/
. . . "Only Ariolimax columbianus and Ariolimax buttoni have spots, although these species can also be spotless (Mead, 1943; cf. Roth, 2004; cf. Leonard et al., 2007)" . . .
Pacific Banana Slug (Ariolimax columbianus) is a native banana slug that lives in damp, wooded areas in the Pacific Northwest, north of Leggett, California. It is the second largest land slug in the world.
http://www.bily.com/pnwsc/web-content/Land-Snails,Slugs.html
The Living World of Molluscs (marine and terrestrial) https://molluscs.at/index.html
Project on I-Nat: Native Land Slugs of North America https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/native-land-slugs-of-north-central-and-south-america
(The) Monterey Pine Forest: Coastal California's Living Legacy, 2nd. ed, The Monterey Pine Forest Watch, 2018
First encounter of a yerba santa species other than thick-leaved yerba santa. Saw these growing on a hillside down from Lake Hughes Rd.