Recently Asked
“I saw these blonde and pink anemone friends at Goleta Beach, in addition to the regular blue ones, and I was wondering what causes their various colors? And can anemones be phosphorescent?”
Julian, Goleta - April 29, 2020
“This small tree just suddenly popped up in our backyard. Can you help us identify what it is?”
Lauren, Santa Barbara, near the SB Natural History Museum - April 11, 2020
“Hello,
we have a small mammal digging tunnels and popping up in our back yard. We want to know more about it but don’t know it’s name. Can you help? ”
Julie, Montecito - April 8, 2020
“These bugs infested my pomegranate tree last year, leaving little drill holes (for eggs?).
What are they and why have I seen them only once in 20 years?”
Jana, Goleta - April 8, 2020
“Hello. Today I saw this on a rock at Ellwood Beach. Perhaps it is a common creature, but I have never seen one before. There were only two on the same rock. Sorry I didn't think to put a coin beside...”
Lisa, Santa Barbara, CA - February 25, 2020
“I found shells in a rock face on Vandenberg Air Force Base. Are these considered fossils? Thank you”
Jacob - February 23, 2020
“Hello,
We found these chitons students Shell Beach in Pismo Beach. It was low tide and we were exploring the tide pools.
They were on the underside of the rock.
While examining them they started to...”
Maria, Santa Barbara, CA - January 27, 2020
“We found this shell at Hendry's Beach this week. Can you identify it?”
Jay, Santa Barbara - January 11, 2020
“I found these (possible) Latticed Stinkhorns fruiting in the redwood grove at the SB Botanic Garden. Do you concur with the identification or are there other, more plausible possibilities at this loca...”
Steven Gaulin, Santa Barbara, Mission Canyon - November 10, 2019
“I have no idea what these rocks are. I need help in identifying.”
Linda Schmidt, Whitewater, Kansas - November 9, 2019
“My friend gave me a bunch of fossils before he died at the age of 99. I have 2 large shells which he found on his ranch in Camarillo years ago.
I would love to donate them to anyone! Do you know any...”
Johanna, Santa Barbara - October 22, 2019
“It's about the side of 9pt felt tip pen dot. It didn't seem to jump. It crawled onto an iPad in our house. It didn't quite look like a dust mite or bed bug. We thought maybe a plant mite?”
Tom, Oxnard, CA - September 2, 2019
“Is this a Polyphemus Moth? I discovered this amazing moth on my front door doormat at 8:00 AM on July 30, 2019. The light above this door was on the entire night. I determined it was alive while movin...”
Anne, Santa Barbara - August 26, 2019
“Is this a praying mantis? It has been on my screen door for over a week. Is this insect normally found here in Santa Barbara?
Thanks!”
Molly, Santa Barbara - Upper East - August 13, 2019
“We have had a severe problem with chiggers in our Cleveland School area yard for decades. Only recently have they been positively identified. For years we were told chiggers were not present in SB and...”
Lauren, Upper Eastside - August 5, 2019
“Can you help me identify this caterpillar? We found it in Carpinteria.
Thanks!”
Ananda Mahto, Carpinteria - July 10, 2019
“We found this beetle in our yard tonight on our swing. We looked it up and could not find anything close to what it seems to be, that is in California. (Tile horned prionus?) Any ideas!? Our kids are...”
Cari Thomas, Santa Barbara - July 3, 2019
“My daughter found this strange rock-like thing in our yard that seems to have snail-like shell shapes in it, all stuck together. It feels like some kind of calcium rocky thing. We've attached a couple...”
Jason Freidenfelds, Santa Barbara - June 29, 2019
“I found an egg that is about five inches around and looks very old. I would like to send you a picture of it so you can give me your thoughts.
Thank you.”
Dave, Camarillo, CA - June 23, 2019
“I encountered this snake in my backyard on the Mesa. Could any of the naturalists at the SBMNH identify it, and more importantly, tell me whether or not it is venomous? We have wild rabbits in our bac...”
Anthony, Santa Barbara - June 3, 2019