Death Valley II

More amazing pics...stark but incredibly beautiful.

Death Valley Bloom early 2005

Here's the supposed first bloom here in 500 years. Average rainfall in Death Valley is about 4 inches. Best times to arrive here are April and October. Summer it's like 140 degrees in the day and 90 at nite.

Death Valley I

Basketball Arenas

Here are the Great Western Forum and Boston Garden.

St Paddy's Day II

St Paddy's Day I

Life on the Streets

Note the white tent...this person sleeping outside near the snow.

Glow Worm

There may even be a glow worm in southern California.

Saint Chapelle Paris

Visited this place in the mid 80s. Amazing. The stained glass goes 50 feet up or more.

Trapdoor Spider (Bothiocyrtum Californicum)

Here are pics of the local trapdoor spider. These amazing creatures are true engineers of the soil. As youngsters they dig their own burrow and spin a special silk to keep the hole watertight. They grab soil, mix it together and spin a tonne of silk on it and paste a lid on top of the hole. They may live in the hole all their lives (about 5 years or so). Maybe they enlargen their hole with each moult (they shed skin for growth...exoskeleton). Hole goes down about a foot or so and about 1.5 inches wide. The spider hides behind the lid awaiting any insects that may cross the lid. Sensitive to touch, these spiders grab the insect (many ground bugs). It is a wonder if they stand outside the burrow at night or choice times of the day. Included is a male spider in the pics. They are slimmer (as tarantulas) and have bulbs on the pedipalps -- small two front legs for mating. Yours truly has seen whole colonies of these spiders (the lids of the burrows)...maybe in 50s or 100s on hillsides. It's possible they live above 3000 feet. Spiders generally like warmer areas but some have been seen up at 15000 feet or so. This is a close relative of the tarantula (aphonopelma).

Flesh fly and house fly

The flesh fly also has a habit of biting people. They fly very swiftly but harass less than the house fly (musca domestica). Flesh fly to 3/4 inch long and seen in the city as well as the countryside. Have a painful bite and sharp plunging tongue. The housefly is man's constant companion like the sewer rat and German cockroach. They dwell near or in human habitations and harass people for hours on end. They may fly single or maybe 50 flies at a time, especially the hot summer months. They carry a lot of bacteria and virus vectors. Both also probably live up to a year. Larval flies can be seen walking but not flying quite yet in the spring. Note the flesh fly has little suction cups as feet. This allows it to walk up glass and upside down.

Horsefly

Some pics of this large fly. Gets to over 1 inch long. The local species seems to be dark black and often seen in late April to late May. Will follow you for miles and probably a blood sucker. Seen much in the local hills and mountains...not much in the megopolis. Also shown are the 1000 or so tiny eyes perfectly arranged on massive eye lobules. They can probably see very well in almost 360 degrees. The tongue used to cut (as "saws all" type motion)...and this fly may be omnivorous. They go from larva to pupa stage. Probably live around 1 year or less. Many flies eat what they can like the roaches.