Recently Asked
“Thank you very much again for the recent help with the fungus ID. I now have another request, an entomological one this time. These little ones have been hanging out in the bathroom lately. I though...”
Daryl, Santa Barbara - October 5, 2022
“Hi, I'm a long time fan of Margaret Ely Webb, illustrator and resident of Santa Barbara. Apparently a collection of her watercolour work of wildflowers was gifted to the SBMNH and was just wondering i...”
Jessica, Sydney, Australia - October 2, 2022
“Hello, I wonder if someone at SBMNH can help me identify this mushroom. It's growing on the base of a palm tree here in Santa Barbara. An online forum suggested a species of Laetiporus. Chicken of t...”
Daryl, Santa Barbara - September 28, 2022
“What type of moth do you think this might be? It was the length of maybe a pinky finger.”
Kevin, Santa Barbara County - September 22, 2022
“When I was given this some thirty years ago, I was told that it was the vertebra of a wooly mammoth, and that it was found in Alaska..
in my little research, I am not so certain.. the vertebra seems...”
Mette, Santa Barbara - September 13, 2022
“We have had a bat visiting from time to time over the last month in a small space in our ceiling. I've found the opening in the wall through which it is making its way into the house and would like to...”
David, Santa Barbara - August 24, 2022
“I wondered if you think this could belong to a Mud Dauber Wasp. It's about 3-4 inches at the widest point. It seemed to get constructed very quickly, but I did not see the insect that built it. As wel...”
Kevin, Santa Barbara - August 24, 2022
“Hello,
I was kayaking in a northern MN mine pit and it's very unusual and as big as my hand and it's cracked in half but I have the two pieces. The inside almost looked like a giant jawbreaker cand...”
Laci, Saginaw, MN - July 25, 2022
“Hello,
I need a little direction as where to go to get some fossil shells identified and dated. The shells are from Platform Heritage (offshore from Gaviota) and 3-4 thousand feet deep in the formati...”
Robert, Gaviota Coast - July 23, 2022
“Hello Dr. Gimmel, I found this bug on the kitchen counter this morning. It's about 3/16" long. I took this picture with a basic digital microscope.
I've been looking online and trying to identify i...”
Gary, Santa Barbara - July 23, 2022
“Found about a dozen eggs, (small about 1/2 inch or smaller) while cleaning out a clay pot that had a dead plant. Digging in the soil to remove roots, my hand tool came up with a few eggs, more scoops...”
Sandra, Santa Barbara - July 20, 2022
“Can you identify this organism found on Butterfly Beach?”
Julie, Montecito, CA - July 6, 2022
“I wonder if I might trouble you for an insect ID. Is this a Northern Walkingstick?
This individual was on the wall of my office building (here at UCSB). You never know what you'll see on the wall of...”
Kevin, UCSB - July 1, 2022
“Trying to find out what this is...
Thank you”
Layton, Santa Barbara - June 28, 2022
“Hello,
I have been unable to identify this caterpillar I found on the underside of a jade plant. Can you please tell me what it is?
Thanks!
Leslie”
Leslie, Riviera - June 27, 2022
“I was fortunate to finally pass this bush while it was in bloom. For several years I have passed it and always admired the color of the leaves which are a light combination of gray, blue, and green wr...”
Hans, Newbury Park, Ca - June 25, 2022
“Found at at Goleta Beach. Any help in identifying its use or origin would be great. It feels almost like glass.
Thank you for your help with this inquiry!”
Angi, Goleta - June 24, 2022
“Do you have any Chumash bows or arrows on display or in the backroom archives? Do you know what plants the Chumash used for their arrows? In SoCal, the Kumeyaay used reed (Phragmitis) or arrow-weed (P...”
Kevin, San Diego - June 23, 2022
“Hi,
My seven-year-old daughter has asked me many times, "Is this a fossil?', and sadly I am never able to answer.
I have attached pics of three different rocks.
The first is from a beach in Ventur...”
Andy, Ventura - June 19, 2022
“I photographed this dead woodrat on San Marcos Foothills Preserve on May 2, 2022. I'm wondering if it is a Dusky-footed Woodrat.”
Barbara, Santa Barbara - June 15, 2022