Welcome to Beetles of the Cuyamaca Mountains!
Last Updated December 24, 2021
This is a guide and continually growing summary of the beetles of the Cuyamaca Mountains of San Diego County, California. The towns of Julian and Descanso will be included in the area of the Cuyamaca Mountains in this guide.
In addition, I have included some beetle species found in greater San Diego County, and some species from Imperial County, which lies directly to the east of San Diego County, as well as San Bernardino County, and soon Riverside County.
NOTE: This is a a work in progress, and additional species will be added over time, as well as additional biological information about the represented species. Please revisit periodically as it improves with age!
In addition, I have included some beetle species found in greater San Diego County, and some species from Imperial County, which lies directly to the east of San Diego County, as well as San Bernardino County, and soon Riverside County.
NOTE: This is a a work in progress, and additional species will be added over time, as well as additional biological information about the represented species. Please revisit periodically as it improves with age!
The Cuyamaca Mountains include three peaks, running from north to south: North Peak (where my home is located), Middle Peak, and Cuyamaca Peak, the tallest of the three, at 6512 feet (1985 meters).
These peaks regularly experience snow in the cold months, and extreme heat is not unusual for the summer months (106 degrees for two days in a row is a memorable heat wave we had on North Peak a few years ago!).
These peaks regularly experience snow in the cold months, and extreme heat is not unusual for the summer months (106 degrees for two days in a row is a memorable heat wave we had on North Peak a few years ago!).
The Cuyamaca Mountains include chaparral at the lower elevations, transitioning into mixed oak forest at higher levels, and finally a mixture of pines, cedars and oaks at the highest elevations. This rich mixture of habitats was extensively burned in the 2003 Cedar Fire. In the years since, the oak trees (including live oaks and black oak) have recovered steadily. Pines and cedars have been less successful in re-establishing themselves in some habitats that they once flourished in. The native pine bark beetles have also taken a toll on pines before and after the Cedar Fire in this region. Additionally, the non-native Goldspotted Oak Borer has killed tens of thousands of trees in San Diego County since its first identification in 2004. Many of these affected trees are in Descanso, Julian and other parts of the Cuyamacas.
I hope that this web site might be useful to anyone interested in beetle biodiversity in general, and in southern California beetle fauna, in particular.
All photographs on this web site are by the author, Robyn Waayers, unless otherwise indicated, and may not be used for any other purpose without permission from the author.
If you are interested in general natural history of the San Diego region and beyond, please check out my blog, Cuyamaca Woods Mountain Journal:
I hope that this web site might be useful to anyone interested in beetle biodiversity in general, and in southern California beetle fauna, in particular.
All photographs on this web site are by the author, Robyn Waayers, unless otherwise indicated, and may not be used for any other purpose without permission from the author.
If you are interested in general natural history of the San Diego region and beyond, please check out my blog, Cuyamaca Woods Mountain Journal:
This web site is a member of The Beetle Ring:
http://www.naturalworlds.org/beetlering/beetle_sites.htm
