Craig Tooley noticed this beautiful moth, an Ornate Tiger Moth.
And Carol Escajeda found this Wandering Tiger Moth resting on a window for some hours. When the moth finally left, Carol wondered where it went! I love the antennae on this moth.
Thanks to Craig and Carol for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
There was a high fog this morning, but sunshine rules the afternoon, temps in the mid sixties.
I've seen Scarlett Waxy Caps in the forest, but I've never seen a wooden photographer taking a photo of one!
Hope you enjoy this fun photo taken by Craig Tooley. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.ruffimage.com
Rain and more rain! 7.87 inches since Friday. 48.60 season to date. A "normal" wet winter here is 50.00 inches. We're going to surpass that number.
This member of the Lily family began its bloom a little before Christmas, and Slinkpods are still putting up their short-lived blooms. Craig Tooley found a nice group of them. Look at the emerging leaves, two for each plant. When they are fully grown, the blooms are long gone. The flowers are quite small and hard to find in the forest duff, but what a treat when you do find them!
Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.ruffimage.com
Another beautiful, calm, sunny day today. Clouds moved in this afternoon making for a beautiful sunset.
Craig Tooley found these Oyster Mushrooms growing on a dead tree near his Sea Ranch home.
Their role in Nature is to decompose dead wood. Many of us enjoy eating these delicious mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms are grown commercially now. In David Arora's excellent pocket guide, "All That the Rain Promises and More," he points out that their growth is shelf-like. Banana Slugs love these mushrooms too!
Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.ruffimage.com
It's storming here today! I'll report rain totals tomorrow. The Pacific Ocean is very loud, with huge, crashing waves. And the King Tides arrive Friday through Sunday. Lots to marvel at!
Pileated Woodpeckers are the largest woodpeckers here on the Mendonoma Coast. They are so very striking and their calls are unmistakable. Craig Tooley recently found this male Pileated working on a tree with its very powerful beak.
You can see bits of bark flying as he uncovers a nest of tasty carpenter ants, his favorite food.
To hear their call, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/sounds
They often call while flying. Peter Baye told me these woodpeckers also like Concord grapes. Peter grows them and leaves some of the crop for the Pileateds. He said they will often gorge upside down!
Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.ruffimage.com
It's sunny, breezy and cool today. In a walk in the forest today, I noticed the ponds of water in a seasonal creek have gotten deeper from the recent rains.