We stopped to look at the complex thalloid liverworts around the edges of this photo, and were then taken aback by these bizarre little things. I had no clue what they were, but now that I've done a little searching, I believe they're simple liverworts in the genus Fossombronia, and the lollipop-like structures are the sporophytes. One of the shots below shows the stem and leaf structure of the vegetative body, and I think you can see the "conspicuous cup-like pseudoperianth around each sporophyte" mentioned in Doyle & Stotler (2006) in the lower portions of this image.

There are apparently two species in CA, F. pusila and F. longiseta, but they can only be reliably distinguished by microscopic characters of the spores.

Hymenopterans continue to confuse me. This one was 8-10 mm, and didn't seem to have a very constricted waist (though there is constriction). Observed on Striped Coralroot growing in oak woodland, Edgewood County Park, San Mateo County, CA, USA.

Purple mouse ears! So psyched to see this, and many thanks to randomtruth for showing me the spots. This is a sepentine specialist, so it doesn't grow everywhere, but Edgewood is definitely a good place to check it out.

Met up with randomtruth in Edgewood this weekend, and we had a grand ol' time exploring all the wonderful things in that park. If you haven't checked it out and you like flowers, it should definitely be on your list. Even if you don't like snakes (*cough*Archie*cough*).

A co-worker asked me today whether the Ring-necked Snake's color signified anything, and I didn't really know. Are they really distasteful? One surefire way to find out, I guess.