Bird’s Eye Pearlwort
Sagina procumbens
I’m not positive about this identification, but it definitely looks to me like a Sagina, and it certainly is not Beach Pearlwort. It does not seem to fit the descriptions of the other native pearlworts in the region, so I’m left concluding it is this introduced species.
This species is fairly inconspicuous, though I have noticed it growing several places in hard-packed gravel (generally at the edge of a road).
Western Gall Rust
Endocronartium harknessii
Unlike some other rusts, Western Gall Rust apparently does not need alternate hosts to complete its life cycle. It utilizes several different pine species, including our local version, the Shore Pine. This is all assuming that the identification is correct, and I’m not absolutely positive about that.
Unidentified Fungus
I suppose these almost qualify as “LBM’s” (Little Brown Mushrooms). They weren’t really all that small, however. The larger ones were probably around 10cm tall, if I am remembering correctly. They were growing out of the remains of an alder tree in Totem Park.
Leaf Beetle
Syneta sp.
I noticed this beetle crawling on my pants when I sat down for a break. I managed to get a couple of shots of it before it flew away. It looks like it’s probably the same beetle species I noticed last summer on top of Verstovia.
Thanks to Rob W. via bugguide.net, I have a genus for this beetle
Beach Green Bug
Until I get a better name for this species, I will name it after the plants I saw it growing on. I think this is a true bug, but I have no idea where to go from there. There were several of them on the leaves of the Beach Greens and Cleavers. They would duck under the leaves if I approached too close, but before too long they would be back on top soaking up the sun. A couple of times I saw a couple of them apparently get a little aggressive toward each other, but I’m not really sure if it was aggression or something else.
As always, any help with identification would be appreciated.
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