Yesterday Rick and I checked a spot where we know Matsutakes come up. We've already found seven a week or so ago. Here's what caught my eye. A mound of duff pushed up and a glimpse of white.
When I cleared off the duff, look at what I found!
I also found a Sweet Tooth Hedgehog mushroom nearby, the first Hedgehog I've found this season.
Gifts from the forest!
We took a walk on the Gualala Bluff Trail this morning, marveling at the big surf. The skies are blue and the Gualala River is flowing out to sea.
The forecast calls for lots of rain, but you couldn't tell by today!
Last Thursday the Gualala River was muddy and much higher due to storms.
Harbor Seals and Gulls at the Gualala River by Jeanne Jackson
Here is a short video. There were nearly 100 Harbor Seals hauled out on the sandbar. There were also many Gulls, some in the river washing themselves. Others were drying out on the sand. It was fun to watch the Gulls being drawn closer to the river mouth and then flying up and back into the river to be carried along by the current once again.
Phil Atkins was surprised in late December to see this Bobcat kitten on his deck at The Sea Ranch.
It seems very early to see a young one like this, but there you go!
Thanks to Phil for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
We are having a sunny day today, but lots of rain headed our way!
Mike Nelson piloted his drone and photographed the Gualala River recently. You can the big sandbar that finally was breached with the rains. The buildings are the small town of Gualala. The river opened a little differently this year, angling to the south as it flows into the Pacific Ocean.
It's very interesting to see the Gualala River mouth from the vantage point of a bird...or in this case, a drone!
Thanks to Mike for allowing me to share his photo with you here. Mike is the owner of MD Electric and Solar. If you ever need his services, here's a link to his website: http://mdelectricsolar.com/
More rain today and the ocean is roaring!
Friday afternoon, Rick and I, along with our rescue golden retriever, Duffy, took a walk. Alongside a path we take every day was a fresh Queen Bolete, Boletus aereus. Queen Boletes seem to like colder weather, which we had up until yesterday when the rains arrived.
Duffy came to us from Taiwan. He was living on the streets for a while. He obviously knew this mushroom was a tasty one. He would have snatched it if we weren't paying attention. Sorry, Duffy! We enjoyed it with dinner.
We also found Matsutakes in the same place they come up every year. These were just peeking up from the forest duff.
They smell wonderful - of cinnamon. They grow in sandy soil and I believe they have a symbiotic relationship with Sugarsticks, Allotropa virgata. I have found Sugarsticks, a native perennial herb, nearby in the spring.
We are having lots of wonderful rain. It began yesterday and continues today, for which we are grateful.