Bug Squad

Be careful when you're harvesting an artichoke. You might find a European paper wasp (Polistes dominula) hunting for a little protein, such as ants, flies and tiny bees to carry back to its nest.

Ten tenants. That's how many tenants are occupying our wooden bee block, aka "bee condo." It's "home, sweet home" for leafcutting bees (Megachile spp.).

Oh, to go through life being called a "short fat fly." Such is the case with a specific tachinid fly (family Tachinidae, genus Gymnosoma), which we spotted on a coreopsis (aka tickseed) growing along a Fort Bragg cliff. It's an odd-looking fly. Its abdomen resembles a ladybug or lady beetle.

Every once in a while you see it. And it's a real treat--especially when it's a bee garden that's synonomous with treat. We tracked the black-faced bumble bee (Bombus californicus) in the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, a half-acre bee friendly demonstration garden at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr.

For at least three days, he visited our yard. He swooped over our fish pond and swimming pool and returned each time to perch on a tomato stake in the vegetable garden. We nicknamed him "Big Red." Big Red? Actually, a flame skimmer dragonfly (Libellula saturata), native to western North America.