Author Archives: Jeanne Jackson

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Pacific Rhododendrons, also called California Rhododendrons, Rhododendron macrophyllum, often begin blooming in May. Their delicate blooms extend into the first part of June, and you can see them now, along with the native Azaleas. Laura Baker was at Mill Bend overlooking the Gualala River when she spotted this beautiful sight.

Mill Bend is the latest acquisition by our fabulous land conservancy, the Redwood Coast Land Conservancy. You can read more about Mill Bend and RCLC's other public access spots at this link: https://www.rclc.org/

Thanks to Laura for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

It's warm here today with very little wind. Clouds are beginning to appear as changes seem to be afoot in the weather department. Rain is predicted for the weekend, and wouldn't that be a blessing!

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Dash gets around and he loves noticing Nature. At the recent minus tides, Dash pointed out this Abalone which had been left high and kind-of-dry during the low tide event.

The Abalone looked healthy. It was waiting for the tide to return and perhaps bring some kelp for it to eat. I see another Abalone in this photo, under the reddish kelp in the upper right corner.

In the next photo, there is a lot going on! Chris photographed an Abalone with a Crab possibly trying to attack it. A big Ocher Star, Mussels, Purple Urchins, Turban Snails, and a Sea Anemone. Looks like a party, an intertidal party!

And here's a bonus photo of Dash, enjoying the Douglas Iris blooming at Gualala Point Regional Park. This time he was with his dad, John Wall.

Thanks to Chris and John for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

We had rain yesterday late afternoon. 0.15 inches in our rain gauge, 49.70 inches season to date. 50 inches is our average so this is good news for those of us on wells.  Today is sunny but there is a very strong breeze. There is no reason to brush your hair if you are outside today on the windy Mendonoma Coast!

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Lots of birds use dead trees. We see the Gualala Bald Eagle pair often perched in a snag just north of the mouth of the Gualala River. Acorn Woodpeckers use snags to drill their holes, which they then proceed to stuff with acorns, creating a granary tree. Michael Reinhart found this dead tree providing nesting cavities for several birds, including Pygmy Nuthatches. He also found Violet-green Swallows bringing insects to their chicks.

The moral of the story is, if you have a dead tree on your property and it isn't a hazard, consider leaving it up for the birds.

Thanks to Mike for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

We woke up to drippy fog this morning, and temps are in the high 50's. Years ago a good friend, Linda Brodie, told me to "embrace your inner fog," a fun way of being able to enjoy the fog we get this time of year. The moisture it brings is very welcome and I'm embracing my inner fog today!

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Sunday night, May 15th, brought a celestial phenomenon, a total lunar eclipse. The Moon glowed red and orange, hence it’s often referred to as Blood Moon. Barry and Kathryn Weiss went to a suitable spot on The Sea Ranch to witness and photograph the event. Barry wrote, “So there we were, at the end of Piper’s Reach waiting for sunset. Friends driving by us would stop and ask if we were okay or did we need any help. ‘No, just waiting for sunset.’ ‘Waiting for the eclipse.’ They’d respond, ‘Oh,’ and then drive off. So there we were, freezing our…let’s say feet…off and then we saw it. When I examined my photos I saw that I might have captured the planet Jupiter in it.”

I sent Barry’s photo to sky watcher Mel Smith. Mel believes Barry photographed a star, not the planet Jupiter. Mel said if the eclipse happened during the Zodiac sign of Scorpio, which it did, then Barry photographed Antares. Mel said, “I’ve never seen a star next to an eclipsing Moon before.” There appears to be another faint star on the right side of the Moon.

Diane Hichwa also drove to view the eclipse. As the eclipse continued, she drove past a Raccoon that was huddled in a culvert.

Diane wondered if the Raccoon was scared by the event. When the eclipse was over, the Moon returned to its normal color and the excitement was over.

Thanks to Barry and Diane for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

It's very warm here today, after a warm day yesterday. Hot up on the ridge! Bring back our fog!

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It takes a talented photographer to get a photo of an insect while flying! Craig Tooley wrote, “I was out looking for little creatures the other day and thought this one was an interesting bee, or fly, or wispy creature. I thought you might enjoy seeing it. They move so fast, a lot of times you don't get a good look at these impressive little creatures. Where did it get those sunglasses?”

I sent Craig’s photo to entomologist Mary Lou Flint. She wrote, “It’s a Syrphid Fly, sometimes called a Hover Fly or Flower Fly because it hovers over flowers to feed on pollen and nectar. These are wonderful beneficial insects. Their larval stages are little maggots that feed on aphids and sometimes other soft-bodied insects. They can clean up an aphid infestation in a jiffy! The adults resemble bees or wasps, and this mimicry may protect them from some predators. However, as you can tell from Craig’s photo, they only have one pair of true wings, thus they are called Diptera. The rear wings have been reduced to knobs called halters. Bees and wasps have four full wings.”

I also learned these important pollinators, unlike bees and warps, do not sting!

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.ruffimage.com

It's sunny and breezy today!