Sightings

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The largest Sea Star in the world is the Sunflower Seastar, Pycnopodia helianthoides. Travis Winters was visiting relatives on the Mendonoma Coast and took his camera along when he hiked the Stornetta Public Lands. There he found this Sea Star.

I count twenty-one limbs on this big Sea Star. They can have between 16 and 24 limbs and they grow over three feet across. They eat Sea Urchins, Clams, Snails and other invertebrates.

Thanks to Travis for sharing his photo with us here. To see other photos from the magnificent Stornetta Lands, here are a few links: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/06/15/a-hidden-waterfall-on-the-stornetta-public-lands-in-mendocino-county/  and http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2012/02/18/low-tide-at-the-stornetta-public-lands-in-point-arena-breathtaking/

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Last week Rick and I visited Hearn Gulch at mean tide. It was a beautiful clear day. We parked at mile marker 10 and headed towards the bluff. We could hear the wave action on the north end of the pocket beach. It sounds like this: "WHOMP!"

Below is a view of the pocket beach from the bluffs.

On the south end there is a sea tunnel. As we watched the tide began to come in, increasing the wave action.

 The staircase down is difficult. Some of the steps are quite tall and the stones are slippery. We needed to use the rope to get down and then get back up.

 The fine folks at the Redwood Coast Land Conservancy are to thank for bringing us this public access.

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Turkey Tails, Trametes versicolor, are fruiting in the forest. They are quite beautiful as you can see by my photo. They are fruiting on a downed Tan-oak on our property in Anchor Bay.

Here I have cropped my photo so you can see the lovely patterns. These mushrooms are leathery to the touch. They are so beautiful people have used them for jewelry. They are found on hardwoods.

Turkey Tail mushrooms, found all over the world, have medicinal qualities. A soothing tea can release their polysaccharides. Studies are ongoing regarding their use as an immune system booster in breast cancer patients. There's a fascinating article about their medicinal qualities on Huffington Post at this link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-stamets/mushrooms-cancer_b_1560691.html  Could a mushroom growing in abundance in the forest be the answer to someone's prayer?

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On Jan. 28th, Drew Fagan photographed this sunset from his art studio north of Gualala.

 The night before he captured this sunset over Sail Rock.

Each are lovely in their own way. Thanks to Drew for allowing me to share the beauty he sees from his place. To see Drew's art, here's the link: drewfagan.com

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Dave Bess looked out the window of his house and saw this young Bobcat hunting for rodents.

It looks like the Bobcat is close to finding its dinner. They are great gopher hunters and the meadows of The Sea Ranch have plenty of gophers.

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