Tag Archives: Gualala

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Candy Cap mushrooms obviously do not mind cold weather. They have been popping up in great numbers. This delicious edible is in the  Milk Cap family - Lactarius fragilis. Rick and I find it growing under Bishop Pines and Tan-oak Trees. It's deep orange color is distinctive and it bleeds white liquid when you touch their gills. The most distinctive trait is, however, their unbelievable maple syrup fragrance.

These mushrooms are so sweet you can use them to bake cookies or in pancakes. In Gualala a local gelato company, Gelati Pazzo Marco Creamery, makes Candy Cap Gelato. Here's the link to their web site: http://gelatipazzomarco.com/

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As we enter November, I wanted to share one last October sunset with you. Robert Scarola took these two photos of the same sunset. It is wonderful to watch a sunset evolve on the Mendonoma Coast.

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

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We share the Mendonoma Coast with Gray Foxes. Their kits are among the cutest critters around. Jim Garlock recently photographed this sweet scene near his home in Gualala where the Mother Fox was grooming her kit.

To see a photo of  newborn Gray Fox Kits, here's the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/06/02/gray-fox-kits-are-being-born-now-on-the-beautiful-mendonoma-coast/

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

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Sus Susulla noticed a very strange bug on the screen door of his Gualala home. It turned out to be a California Walking Stick.

They are in the family Timenas. Not much is known of the unique insect but we do know they eat plants.

Cathleen Crosby also spotted one and her photo gives us a different perspective on this weird-looking insect. Isn't Mother Nature creative?

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Heermann's Gulls are migrating along the Mendonoma Coast, right, along with Brown Pelicans. These medium-sized Gulls, when adults, have white heads and gray bodies. Their backs are darker gray. Paul Brewer recently photographed one that stopped on a bluff near Gualala.

Just look at that red bill - used to steal fish from Brown Pelicans. They've actually been seen going into a Pelican's pouch to steal its catch.

 Here you can see the three shades of this striking Gull.

These Gulls are rarely found inland. They breed in Mexico and then fly north up to the southern portion of British Columbia. They are found nowhere else in the world.

Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see more of Paul's beautiful photographs, here is his web site: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/

Paul's photos will also be featured at the Dolphin in Gualala for the month of August.

To see a photo of a Heermann's Gull trying to steal a fish, here's the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/08/08/heermanns-gulls-trying-to-steal-a-brown-pelicans-fish-off-the-mendonoma-coast/