Recently Asked
“Hello!
Do you know what type of fungus this is? They have a very unique and pretty purple shade, and pop-up around this time of year (presumably due to the weather/rain?). I took this photo outside o...”
Kevin, UCSB - December 29, 2022
“These stinkhorn mushrooms are sprouting up recently after a rain all over our trails in suburban Dallas area. They are beautiful. Extremely fragile. And pollinated by ants, flies and even millipedes....”
Richard, Dallas area - December 14, 2022
“Hi- I live in Carp and always collect sea glass - the other day I came upon an object that has me curious if it is an old piece of pottery. It seems like old clay -- very smooth on one side with a sli...”
Amy, Carpinteria - December 5, 2022
“Hi there,
I recently found 2 shells near the capitola beach. I assumed that they were the same species, but I don't know which. I also don't know how old they are, if they are fossilized, and if they...”
Ani, Fremont, Ca - December 3, 2022
“Please see the attached photo. It's in our garden; probably not for long. Do you know what it is? Thanks! ”
Gari, Montecito - November 17, 2022
“I found an object on Ledbetter Beach that has me stumped. Because it was on the beach I first assumed that is was of marine origin, but it looks more like a mammal horn. I hope that the attached photo...”
David, Santa Barbara - November 16, 2022
“Hello there,
This afternoon, I noticed this large spider outside on the bench on my porch.
I live in Lompoc, and I have seen quite a few different species of spiders in my garden, but I have never...”
Sara, Northern Lompoc - November 11, 2022
“What made the tracks?”
Pam, Santa Barbara - October 24, 2022
“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