Mark Hancock heard on a radio interview on KGUA that I was looking forward to seeing Baby Blue Eyes, a native wildflower. He sent this photo, saying they are blooming in profusion at the Lighthouse.
Here's a closer look at one of these beautiful wildflowers, this photo was taken by Mary Sue Ittner.
Thanks to Mark and Mary Sue for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
Mary Sue Ittner was at Manchester State Beach with the Thursday Ramblers, a local hiking group. She found California Poppies blooming in profusion.
And Baby Blue Eyes.
And Cream Cups too.
Here's what it looked like when Mary Sue photographed the scene.
Thanks to Mary Sue for allowing me to share her photos with you here.
Mary Sue Ittner was on the Thursday Ramblers' hike last week. She found one of the first Western Trilliums, Trillium ovatum, up. It obviously had been raining!
She also found Slink Pod, Scoliopus bigelovii. I love looking for these tiny wildflowers. They are very hard to spot, so you look for the two leaves poking through the forest duff.
This morning I noticed the first Bracken Fern up and a few Huckleberry blossoms. Spring must be right around the corner! Thanks to Mary Sue for allowing me to share her photos with you here.
We have a lot of rain in our forecast, but there will be breaks to allow for nature walks on bluffs or along forest paths. Heed the siren call on Mother Nature!
Mary Sue Ittner was surprised to find this big Coast Gartersnake nestled into one of her flower pots. Here's her story:
Mary Sue wrote, “I saw a snake crawling up the side of one of my Haemanthus albiflos pots. By the time I got my camera out it had tucked itself in the leaves with just its head sticking out, and then not even that. You wouldn’t know it was even there unless you looked very carefully between the leaves. Later it came out so I could see how long it was. In spite of that it found a way to fit in the pot. I managed to capture one of the times it flicked its tongue.”
Mary Sue estimated the snake was about three feet long.
Among other things, Gartersnakes will eat mice, slugs and snails. Gardeners love to have one in their garden.
Thanks to Mary Sue for allowing me to share her photos with you here.
Bob Rutemoeller and Mary Sue Ittner were the ones who spotted the well-camouflaged Green Heron by the Gualala River. Bob wrote, “We were skipping flat rocks across the Gualala River when a Green Heron flushed and landed on a tree that is leaning over the river. It blends in so well it was hard to see through the camera on full zoom."
As seen by Bob and Mary Sue, they can be spotted by water, often hidden behind foliage. They use the awesome beak you can see in Bob's photo to stab fish for their meals.
Fun Fact: Green Herons are one of just a few bird species that actually use tools to tempt fish to come their way. They create their own fishing lures using insects, feathers and even bread crumbs. They lay their lure on the water to entice small fish - pretty clever, don't you think?
To hear some of the calls of this small heron, here is the link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Green_Heron/sounds
Thanks to Bob for allowing me to share his photos with you here!