nvhamlett@gmail.com

Claremont, CA

I am a retired microbiologist/molecular biologist.

Although microbiologists often refer to microbes colloquially as "bugs", I have no professional expertise in entomology. I do, however, consider it vitally important that college students know something about the organisms they study, even if they only study molecules, and that they develop an appreciation for the complexity and diversity of living things in their natural habitats. To this end, I have been serving since 2001 as the webmaster for the Claremont Colleges Robert J. Bernard Biological Field Station, helping to develop an accurate inventory of the biota and creating a website (http://www.bfs.claremont.edu) that I hope is of use to students, researchers, and the general public.

My native garden project
In fall 2012 I planted most of my front yard with flowering plants that are native to Southern California. I am very curious to see what interesting native insects they attract, and I will be posting my observations to BugGuide. Here's what I have recorded so far, with links to the ones I've posted:

Spiders
Mecaphesa sp.
Metepeira sp.
Oxyopes scalaris
Phidippus johnsoni (Johnson Jumper)

Grasshoppers, Crickets, and Katydids
Phaneroptera nana (Mediterranean Katydid)

Bugs
Leptoglossus sp.

Bee Flies
Exoprosopa divisa

Robber Flies
Asilinae

Syprhid Flies
Allograpta obliqua (Common Oblique Syrphid)
Toxomerus marginatus

Butterflies
Erynnis funeralis (Funereal Duskywing)
Euphilotes bernardino (Bernardino Dotted Blue)
Papilio cresphontes (Giant Swallowtail)
Papilio rutulus (Western Tiger Swallowtail)
Pieris rapae (Cabbage White)
Strymon melinus - Hodges#4336 (Gray Hairstreak)

Moths
Pyrausta laticlavia - Hodges#5070 (Southern Purple Mint Moth)

Bees
Anthidiellum notatum robertsoni
Apis mellifera (Western Honey Bee)
Bombus melanopygus (Black-tailed Bumble Bee)
Ceratina (Subgenus Zadontomerus)
Dianthidium sp.
Halictus tripartitus
Lasioglossum (tegulare species group))
Osmia sp.
Xylocopa tabaniformis orpifex (Mountain Carpenter Bee)
Xylocopa varipuncta (Valley Carpenter Bee)

Wasps
Euodynerus sp.
Polistes exclamans
Pseudomasaris vespoides


First Records on BugGuide:
Hartmut Wisch helped observe, collect, and identify several of these.