Favoritos de cholmesphoto

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis x maricopa hybrid imaged at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum at a during a recent visit. I forgot to collect more percise locality and date data, next time I visit I will image the specimen label.

I'm somewhat sure this is mysticum since queens were flying, but I'm having trouble distinguishing from M. rogeri. The clypeus looks round enough for mysticum...

Extracted from under the bark of a dead log. Log had been pointed out to me by Fielisy "Fidel" Bemaheva, who is an extremely knowledgeable old hand at Madagascar ants.

A female Giant Ichneumon wasp (Megarhyssa macrurus) oviposits into the side of a tree.

I was honored to have this observation selected as observation of the day for June 11, 2020, and again as observation of the week (week of June 21, 2020). It is covered in this blog post: A Trip to Texas Provides a Long Sought Photographic Opportunity - Observation of the Week, 6/21/20.

Gray crustose lichen with red coloration found on two rocks, one at the edge of the Billings-Avery Brook and a second in a stone wall, both within the same preserve - These red-pigmented lichen seem locally uncommon compared to similar, unpigmented lichen- Regarding an identification, "Christmas Lichen" is not reported in New England area, but it is the closest ID based on simple visual characteristics (red pigmentation)- Lichenologists, please advise regarding a correct identification and red pigments in lichen. Thanks!

Being most interested in the red pigmented material and less so the the host crustose lichen, I'm changing the ID to Marchandiomyces corallinus, a pink-red colored lichenicolous (grows on lichen) fungus parasitizing the gray-green crustose lichen observed. Many thanks to jurga-li for guidance (see comments below).
--https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/identification-downloads/Introduction%20to%20Lichenicolous%20Fungi.pdf
--https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marchandiomyces_corallinus