The Natural History of Foster City, California
by James K. Sayre
a draft manuscript
12 May 2005
Chapter 19: Sketches of Insects and other invertebrates
Black Widow Spider or Western Black Widow - Latrodectus hesperus, on 1/3/95, author found one behind a table covered with newspapers; the spider was shiny black with the characteristic red-hour-glass marking on the lower part of the abdomen. The author encouraged the spider to enter a glass jar, thereafter it was returned to the Great Outdoors. Another individual, a male, with the characteristic shiny black body, but without the red hourglass figure, was discovered in a web underneath a large overturned plastic flower planter on the author's deck on 10/18/95. The spider was left to its own devices.
After removing a bookcase that was in front of a louvered window, one was found in the corner. The author replaced the bookcase with a large cardboard box so that the spider could continue its quiet life in the shadows.
Three black widow spider species live north of the Rio Grande in the United States. There are also two brown widow species. They generally avoid contact with humans, but do have a nasty bite. Avoid putting your hands into dark places. Sometimes the female eats the male after mating, but most often does not.
Cabbage Butterfly - Pieris rapae or Artogeia rapae, a medium-sized white butterfly, commonly seen feeding on wild flowers along the levee and in the fennel field. It is a member of the Family Pieridae which includes whites and sulfurs (species of butterflies identified by color). It also is called Imported Cabbageworm. It is originally from the Old World. It has been in California for over 120 years now and it is widely distributed in lowland and coastal regions.
Daddy Longlegs - .i.Cobweb Spider; or .i.Long-bodied Cellar Spider;, .i.Pholcus phalangioides;, this spider, which lives indoors, is originally from Europe. It is the familiar spider of corners and ceilings, where it weave an irregular web and quietly awaits its insect prey. Its body is about 1/4 inch long, while its legs may be up to 2 inches long. It is a different species from the outdoor living Daddy Longlegs, which is actually not a spider, but is a harvestman, a closely related genus, which has a more spherical body shape. When disturbed, Pholcus phalangioides spins its body in a small circle, this rendering itself nearly invisible to mammalian eyes. Tiny spiderling found in shower area on 8/8/96. Found an adult spider in corner of bedroom in apartment on 5/12/97.
Tiny Spiders; along edge of swimming pool: about half the size of the Argentine Ant. also observed five tiny Spiders living along pool edge about one to two inches above the water line. They may feed on drowned insects in the pool or they may trap unwary ants that walk near the edge of the pool.
Bumble bee - Bomb spp;., is the familiar large black and yellow bee. It has a loud buzz and is about an inch in length [Zim & Cottam]. They live in colonies which are based underground.
Honey bee or European Honey bee;, Apis mellifera. This familiar insect of the garden may be suffering a serious decline in its population in California due to the recent invasion of some tiny parasitical mites [Pettit]. In its place, there are Bumble bees, other native California bees, moths, butterflies and Hummingbirds available for pollinating duties for our local garden flowers and wild flowers. The parasitical mites are the Tracheal Mite and the Varraoa Mite, both of which arrived from Asia about a decade ago [Pettit].
End.
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