Sightings

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It's our earliest wildflower, the one with the unlovely common  names, Slink Pod and Fetid Adder's Tongue, Scoliopus bigelovii.  I recently found one blooming in our forest. You can see its leaves are just peeking up at the base of the stem.

This is what we look like trying to find one of these tiny wildflowers. This photo was taken by C'Anna Bergman-Hill a few years ago, the very same place I found them last week.

Craig Tooley took this close-up photo, which is in our book, Mendonoma Sightings Throughout the Year. Yes, it's a MUCH better photo than mine! The leaves of this member of the Lily family are distinctively mottled. If you find the leaves, which can grow to 12 inches long, you know where to look for the earlier-blooming flower next winter.

Thanks to C'Anna and Craig for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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Ron LeValley was up early to capture the morning light, clouds and the waves at the Little River Headlands.

It's a mystical look, isn't it? And here is a photo Ron took a few years ago just at sunset, with the waves back-lit by the setting sun.

 

I thank Ron for allowing me to share his photo with you on this first day of 2017. To see much more of Ron's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://levalleyphoto.com/home/

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Fly Amanitas, Amanita muscaria, have been known as symbols of good luck. Craig Tooley recently photographed one of these distinctive mushrooms.

Judy Woudenberg also captured a photo of one. They change size rather dramatically as they age. Judy's is younger than Craig's.

Not edible unless parboiled several times to flush away the toxins. I just enjoy seeing them in sunny meadows, flaunting their bold beauty as I walk by.

Thanks to Craig and Judy for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: www.ruffimage.com

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Kirsten Lenzing, visiting the Mendonoma coast from Germany, enjoyed a hike on the Point Arena-Stornetta Lands. You can see the day was full of sunshine, and the waves were big.

Far in the distance is the Point Arena Lighthouse, one of the treasures of the Mendonoma coast!

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

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The beauty of Hearn Gulch is something to be savored again and again. Eric Duff visited the lovely pocket beach just before sunset, and you can see the sun shining through the sea tunnel.

There is also a blowhole on the north side, and when the ocean swells begin to build, that's the time to see if the blowhole is in action. Here's a photo I took last month.

Parking for Hearn Gulch is found at mile marker 10.0, near Iversen Road in Mendocino County. To learn more about the several treasured places the Redwood Coast Land Conservancy has brought to us, here is their website: http://www.rc-lc.org/

There is a convenient "Donate" button on their site. They are actively fundraising at this time.

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