Nature Identification Thread #2

It's time for the second nature identification thread! Post pictures of plants, animals, rocks, or other cool stuff that you've photographed but can't identify, and I, along with anyone else who wants to participate, will try and help you identify it.

The rough-skinned newt, a resident of the Pacific Northwest. DO NOT EAT. The rough-skinned newt is highly poisonous and carries high levels of the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin, the same as is found in pufferfish. It is, however, safe to handle, provided you rinse off your hands before eating or touching your face- I've caught plenty of them with my bare hands before. [Image source]

Remember: The most important information you can give along with any photo to be identified is its geographical location. This narrows down the range of possibilities more than any other info you can provide.

Plants:
Along with the photo, add where you found it, the time of year, the approximate altitude, and any interesting scents or textures not caught in the photo.

Animals:
Along with the photo, add the location you found it, the time of year, the sounds it made, any interesting behaviors, and any other features not caught well in the photo.

Rocks:
Along with the photo, add the location you found it, a description of the terrain it was found in, whether it was attached to a rock outcrop or found loose on the ground or buried in the soil, a description of its texture (especially its grain size), and a description of its weight and density. Fossils are included in this category.

Fungi:
I will not be identifying mushrooms and fungi for the most part unless I can point to it and go "Yeah, that's poisonous." I will definitely not be identifying edible mushrooms. Mushrooms should really only be identified for foraging purposes in person and by an expert. If another contributor wishes to identify them, that's their call, but I encourage them to be similarly cautious. I might also identify a few fungi that are clearly not being looked at for the purposes of eating, but that'll be a case by case decision.

For anyone who wants to help me identify stuff- when the post cashes out, I'll be splitting the SBD among those Steemians who help identify stuff based on how many things you've identified. I definitely want this to be a community effort. On top of that, my share of the identifications will be split the people who present the coolest photos to identify, so I won't be keeping any of the SBD from this post. If any other identifiers want to forgo their part of the pool, it'll go towards the posters as well!

Last week's best entry was a beetle sent in by @aksounder. He earned 3 SBD!