Author Archives: Jeanne Jackson

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Cathleen Crosby photographed a CA Coffeeberry bush with berries in various stages of ripeness.

california-coffeeberries-by-cathleen-crosbyWhen I researched these berries on Wikipedia, I read they were used for making jam and such, and the bean inside the berry could be used to make a coffee-like drink. This prompted a discussion with botanist Peter Baye as to whether the bean inside the berry could be used as a coffee substitute. Peter wrote, “It’s medicinal, not a coffee substitute! Woe unto the drinker.” Peter sent me information that the Kashaya Pomo used the bark, or a small number of berries, as a laxative. The bark and berries were also used as an emetic, to counteract poisoning.

So we'll leave these beautiful berries alone. Some birds do eat them, with apparently no harmful side affects!

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

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Suzie Chapler noticed these two Katydids on a potted plant on her porch. They were mating.

two-katydids-mating-by-susie-chaplerKatydids are related to Crickets, and are also called Bush Crickets. Their scientific name is a tongue twister: Tettigoniidae. They mostly eat leaves, flowers, bark and seeds.

Thanks to Suzie for allowing me to share her photo with you here. This is actually the first photo of Katydids I have received in my ten+ years of doing my Mendonoma Sightings column in the Independent Coast Observer.

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I took this photo of the Gualala River from the Gualala Bluff Trail just before the rains came. You can see it was very low and the sandbar is huge.

the-gualala-before-the-storms-10-13-16Bob Rutemoeller photographed the river after the rain, an amazing difference. The Gualala River has been closed to the Pacific Ocean by a huge sandbar for months. With enough rain, the river will burst through the sandbar, but that will have to wait for another day as the river is still closed.

the-gualala-river-after-the-rain-by-bob-rutemoellerFor now, we have sunny, warm weather. This would be a perfect time to kayak or canoe on the Gualala. But once another storm brings rain, you won't want to be anywhere near or on the river. It's an amazing spectacle. Here is a short video taken by Dane Behrens a few years ago when the river opened. It's titled "Standing Waves." Tree trunks, steelhead, pretty much anything in the river gets thrust into the ocean at an extremely rapid speed. Fun fact: when the river is closed by the sandbar, the mouth is called a lagoon. When it's open, it's called an estuary.

Thanks to Bob and Dave for allowing me to share their photo and video with you here.

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It doesn't happen very often. Usually we see rainbows in the morning out over the ocean, but when conditions are perfect, we get a rainbow in the late afternoon. Jan Jewell photographed part of Sunday's double rainbow.

double-rainbow-by-jan-jewellAnd then Jan turned around and photographed the setting sun.

and-the-view-to-the-west-the-sunset-10-16-16-by-jan-jewellJust beautiful! The soaking rain we received over the weekend was very welcome. We received 3.65 inches at our house in Anchor Bay, a wonderful early autumn gift.

Thanks to Jan for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

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Jane Simmonds found a tagged Monarch with the numberB2838, and an email address on September 14th in her garden at Annapolis. Jane reported her sighting, writing, “There were two [Monarchs], one tagged and one untagged. They were loving the zinnias.” It was a particularly fun sighting for Jane, as it was her birthday.

tagged-monarcy-butterfly-by-jane-simmonds

Dr. David James of Washington State University wrote Jane back. He was thrilled, as he had reared this male Monarch. He told Jane the tag was extremely light and positioned near the center of gravity of the butterfly. The butterfly was released from Yakima, Washington.

Dr. James is studying the migratory routes taken by Monarchs from the Pacific Northwest. He says there are a few thousand tagged Monarchs, and he wouldn’t be surprised if others were seen here. But so far Jane's sighting is the only one of one of these tagged Monarchs.

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