Spotted this small Hymenopteran on a rock. It was pretty sluggish; the temperature out was slightly chilly in the shade. Pics 2 & 3 are focus-stacked. Pics 1 & 4 are single shots.
Sequoia ForestKeeper Wildflower Wednesday Walks
Cyrus Canyon, Weldon
Kern County, California
11 March 2015
Found this alongside a walkway in a small park. Lots of cultivated plants nearby but this was outside the fences. Marah macrocarpa was suggested but the spines look different because they are thinner and denser.
Nodal spines 3; INFL <5 flrs; Sepals 5; anthers exceeding white petals; styles glabrous throughout to base; stem erect; styles clearly exceeding anthers; abaxial LF surface glandular; internodal bristles 0, hypanthium longer than wide; anther tips mucronate.