Author Archives: Jeanne Jackson

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The late rains have coaxed The Prince to bloom. Agaricus augustus is a delicious, meaty wild mushroom with a wonderful almond odor. I found one lone Prince on our road this past week but Jacquelynn Baas of The Sea Ranch hit the big time and sent me a photo to prove it. In fact she has found so many Prince mushrooms that - get this - she is tired of eating them fresh and is going to dry this batch. I can only shake my head in admiration.

Jacquelynn is an accomplished writer and you can find out more about her books at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Jacquelynn-Baas/e/B001IU0Q28/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

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A beautiful male California Quail decided that the view from on top of our Goldfinch feeder would make a good vantage point to watch for danger. He didn't bother the American Goldfinches as they continued to feed. Is there another bird as beautiful as a male Quail?

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Drew Fagan has an art studio at his place in Gualala. It affords him some might fine wildlife viewing. Recently he watched an encounter between a Bobcat and a Gray Fox. The Bobcat apparently got too close to the Fox's kits. The Fox chased the Bobcat off but before that happened, Drew caught the beautiful Bobcat hunting something in the grass - possibly a small rodent - and snapped this photo. A big thank you to Drew for allowing me to share it here.

If you'd like to see Drew's art, here's his web site: http://www.drewfagan.com/

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While Foxglove isn't a native plant - it is native to Europe - it seems at home on the Mendonoma Coast. It blooms at the same time as our native Wild Rhododendrons and Azaleas and is a member of the Figwort family. It's Latin name is Digitalis, which means finger-like. Its blossoms are the perfect size for putting one's finger inside. It has a well-known medicinal use, which strengthens and regulates the beating of the heart. The plant itself is poisonous so don't eat it, just enjoy looking at its beauty!

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The sun has finally decided to make an appearance and a welcome one it is. Our rain total at our Anchor Bay home has topped 70 inches for the season with this last storm. It's time for some good weather! A Swainson's Thrush is singing his beautiful song and the fragrant smell of wisteria and from our incredible banana bush are wafting in through the open sliding glass door. This is more like it! But to remind us that winter was just a few days ago, Carolyn André recently photographed storm waves off The Sea Ranch and is kindly allowing me to share it here. The Pacific Ocean - I never get tired of looking at it.