Tag Archives: Anchor Bay

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Rick and I walk every day, in fact twice a day, as demanded by our Golden Retriever, Huckleberry. On a path that leads to the forest floor a Dyer's Polypore, Phaeolus schweinitzii, appeared overnight. We were amazed! What life force mushrooms have to grow so fast.

This mushroom isn't good to eat but it has so much pigment that people use it to dye fabric. Depending on the age of the Polypore the color is yellow, gold, brown or orange. It has a part to play in nature as it breaks down dead wood into nutrients. There are several dead trees - snags - where this mushroom grows.

The first picture is the first day it appeared. The second is four days later.

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A pair of Acorn Woodpeckers showed up at our feeder in Anchor Bay with three fledglings. Rick and I have been enjoying hearing and watching them. For the past two weeks the parents have been practicing tough love, pecking at the young ones and flying away when they begged for food. It looks like the tough love has paid off as the young Acorns were at our feeder this weekend.

My best to you this lovely day! Jeanne Jackson

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There are 1000 or so California native bees. I recently watched one of them pollinating the blossoms on my tomato plants here in Anchor Bay. When it went into each blossom it gave a whirring sound just like a small drill. Will Erickson identified it for me - it's a female Solitary Digger Bee, Anthophora species. This native bee is a ground nester. She was indeed a busy little bee as my plants are full of blossoms. Nice to get some garden help from this beneficial bee!

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An orange Dragonfly - Libellula saturata - visited my garden in Anchor Bay. In our courtyard we have a small pond with a waterfall flowing from an old-growth Redwood stump. The Rough-skinned Newt is still in residence in the pond. A few days ago I noticed this beautiful naiad flitting around the plants by the pond. This jewel-like Dragonfly eats moths, flies, ants and other insects. Welcome to my garden, male Flame Skimmer!

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Salmon fishing has been so good this past week that the commercial fishing fleet has been here. They anchor overnight in Point Arena and Anchor Bay. Their lights twinkle in the darkness, looking like a diamond necklace strung out over the Pacific Ocean. I rose before dawn to take this photo - the ocean was so calm some of the boats stayed out rather than anchor off-shore. You don't see that very often!