Sightings

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Not everyone on the Mendonoma Coast got to see last night's beautiful sunset, as fog hugged the immediate coast. But Rick and I were able to see it unfold from our place in Anchor Bay. It lasted almost...forever.

Sunset 1 by Jeanne Jackson Sunset 2 by Jeanne Jackson

Of course my camera can only capture a portion of the colors, so you will have to imagine the colors extending left, right, and overhead. Wow, what a wonderful sunset!

This afternoon waves have begun crashing against the shore. A storm from elsewhere is bringing high surf and dangerous conditions to beaches for today and tomorrow. Stay safe everyone.

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Bob Rutemoeller noticed two Great Egrets at the Gualala River recently. One of them he was able to get relatively close to, and he got some wonderful photos. The first photo shows the Egret's reflection in river.

Great Egret reflected in the Gualala River by Bob Rutemoeller Great Egret 2 by Bob Rutemoeller Great Egret 3 by Bob Rutemoeller

And then the Great Egret did a flyby right over Bob and he got these beautiful photos.

Thanks to Bob for allowing me to share these photos with  you here.

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Oyster mushrooms have bloomed on a downed Tan Oak in our forest. This  tree came down last year and we left it in place in the hopes that we'd get these mushrooms - they grow on dead hardwood. Our hopes were rewarded!

Oyster Mushrooms by Jeanne Jackson (Large)

And a Dyer's Polypore has bloomed too - not an edible, but beautiful to see and watch evolve.

Dyer's Polypore by Jeanne Jackson

The new polypore is the light-colored one. The dark brown polypore was last year's bloom. It's unusual for the old one to still be entact. These mushrooms are used by dyers of wool. When young they dye wool yellow or orange. When older, the dye wool brown. Their role in Nature it to decompose dead wood.

I have a photo of the first Boletus edulis, a choice edible. Four were found at The Sea Ranch a few days ago. But I am sharing it first with the Independent Coast Observer with my Sightings column. It will be out on Thursday!

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Paul Brewer incorporated the clock tower in the Gualala's Cypress Center into his photo of the eclipse, thereby showing you the time he took the photo.

Eclipse of moon in Gualala by Paul Brewer

This photo is starring on the front page of last week's Independent Coast Observer.

Then Paul photographed the setting moon, which was a super moon, in the early hours of September 28. Nice to see it back to its usual color.

The setting Super Moon 9-27-15 by Paul Brewer

Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share these stunning photos with you here. To see much more of Paul's nature photography, here is his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/

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Peter Baye found this native wildflower on a stretch of beach near Alder Creek. A Painted Lady butterfly was nectaring on it. It's Pink Sand Verbena, and it is rare. Yes, it is growing in the sand.

North Coast Pink Sand-Verbena with a Painted Lady by Peter Baye

Here is a close-up of the flower. It's lovely, isn't it?

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Thanks to Peter for allowing me to share his photos with you here.