Author Archives: Jeanne Jackson

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Amy Ruegg found a mass of golden eggs of an unusual fish at an low tide.

She wrote, “What a beautiful morning and a nice minus tide at Pebble Beach! There were lots of the usual culprits like Bat Stars, Purple Urchins, Abalone, Anemones and Chitons. This, however, was a pretty surprise. INaturalist says they are the eggs of the Plainfin midshipman, which would be exciting enough, but when googling this species, I find out they have three sexes! Female, male I and male II.”

Amy also learned this batrachoid toadfish is bioluminescent and they make a humming sound that nearby humans can hear. Amazing!

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

It's a glorious day on the Mendonoma Coast - sunny and in the low 70s with no wind!

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Ceanothus, wild lilac, has been in bloom, so it’s not a surprise to find the striking Ceanothus Silk Moth. But it was a surprise when one landed on Danielle Warner’s shirt.

She wrote, “The moth was hanging out in the driveway prior to that, I guess. It flew onto my shirt as I was trying to move it to safety. It hung out for about a minute, seemed pretty content, then I moved it into the field.” Danielle’s shirt is just about the color of Ceanothus blooms.

Here's a photo I took of blooming Ceanonthus.

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

It's a lovely day, except for some fog along portions of the coast. Sunny, breezy, and warm away from the coast. Sounds like spring!

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We've seen several leucistic - nearly or partially white - birds this spring. Gary Larson found another one at his  bird feeder in Gualala. Diane Hichwa identified it as an American Goldfinch. Even the beak of this bird appears lighter.

Here is a photo of a normal-colored Goldfinch, taken by Ron Bolander this past week.

Quite a difference between the two birds!

Thanks to Gary and Ron for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

It's a beautiful, breezy, sunny spring day here today. And it is supposed to be warmer tomorrow.

 

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Eric Zetterholm noticed this kumbaya moment. The Doe was grazing and a Gray Fox was watching her.

Can't we just all get along like this deer and fox? I know...wishful thinking.

Thanks to Eric for allowing me to share his photo with  you here.

We had surprise showers last night, just 0.05 inches here, but it put us at 63 inches season to date. Today is sunny, breezy and cool. Lots of wildflowers appearing...LOTS!

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Witches Teeth are also called Bi-colored Lotus. They are quite small so you have to look closely to see them. One petal is yellow – the poor witch’s tooth – and the others are white to pink. Amy Ruegg recently photographed some.

They are found in moist areas. They are thought to be the host plant of a butterfly that may be extinct. It’s the Lotis Blue Butterfly, with only an inch wingspan and it hasn’t been seen for thirty years. It was native to the Mendocino coast, but this butterfly was seen in Sonoma and Marin years ago. I read that conservationists believe there may be some still here in remote areas of Mendocino county. Wouldn’t it be something of one of us spotted this butterfly? When you find Witches Teeth, keep watch for this small blue butterfly. To see a photo of it, here is a link to the Essig Museum of Entomology, University of California, Berkeley. https://essig.berkeley.edu/endangered/endangered_plebloti/

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

It is sunny with a gentle breeze. Maybe some rain late tomorrow? We’ll see!