Cucumber Beetles (Acalymma trivittata) munching on the pistillate blossom of the wild gourd Calabazilla (Cucurbita foetidissima). The photograph is from Sunday's Ahmanson-Cheeseboro run.

A Blue Milkweed Beetle (Chrysochus cobaltinus) on a somewhat insect eaten Narrow Leaf Milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis).

Photograph was taken on a run on Laskey Mesa in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (formerly Ahmanson Ranch).

The fuzzy critter with the beady eyes is a Bee Fly. Its darting, hummingbird-like movements caught my eye while running on the Tumamait Trail near Mt. Abel (Cerro Noroeste) on Sunday. It was feeding on a Western Wallflower (Erysimum capitatum). Fully consumed by the morning's experiences, I had been marveling at the vibrant yellow of Wallflowers along the trail.

Like the Star Lily, Large Flowered Phacelia (Phacelia grandiflora) appears to be a "fire follower," blooming in the Simi Hills in the aftermath of the Topanga Fire.

Tarantula Hawks are huge wasps that prey on tarantulas and trap door spiders. This one (a male) was on a narrow-leaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis Dcne.) at the start of the Chumash Trail in Simi Valley. Several good runs start at this trailhead, and many variations are possible. It's 2.6 miles up the trail to Rocky Peak Rd, and from there you can do out and backs north or south along the fire road, or loops via Las Llajas canyon, the Hummingbird Trail, or the Lower Stagecoach Trail. (Photo from a run on September 14, 2005.)