Randy Jones was walking a local beach when he noticed this bit of an abalone shell in the shape of a heart.
Randy showed it to Mel Smith and me recently, and Mel took this photo on the shell resting on Randy's hand. I love seeing hearts in nature.
Thanks to Mel for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
Sparkling blue skies and cool weather here on the Mendonoma coast today.
A rare plant has bloomed near Rick’s and my home in Anchor Bay, last year and this year too. We took wildflower aficionados Mel Smith and Linda Bostwick to see the spiky maroon and white flower last weekend. There, growing in sandy soil and forest duff, was a Sugarstick, Allotropa virgata.
Here's a closer view of the flowers - they are quite beautiful.
Sugarsticks, also called Candysticks, are parasitic plants. They feed on fungi in the soil. The two places I’ve found them have Matsutake mushrooms in the fall. If you have known Matsutake spots, look and see if you might also have Sugersticks. Last year’s flowers are still standing as leathery thin stalks.
Interesting that they seem to be associated with Matsutake fungus!
We have had cool, foggy weather on the Mendonoma coast this week. The sun finally appeared mid-afternoon. There are lots of people here with their fancy cars, as there is a car show on Saturday at Gualala Arts. It's free and lots of fun. Here is a link to the Gualala Arts Center about the event: http://gualalaarts.org/2018/07/10th-annual-gualala-arts-auto-show-8th-annual-pinewood-derby/
Mel Smith photographed an Earthstar, a uniquely-shaped mushroom that grows on the Mendonoma coast.
Craig Tooley photographed a Scarlett Waxy Cap, a mushroom that makes me think of flowers growing in the forest.
Craig also found a group of Shaggy Manes. This mushroom is edible when young, but they quickly melt away into an inky puddle.
Thanks to Mel and Craig for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
We are having sunny, warm weather today. And tomorrow, Thursday, is supposed to be a bit warmer. We should be seeing more mushrooms appearing if they didn't drown in all the rain we've had!
We soared past 50 inches of rain at our place in Anchor Bay. That's our average rainfall for the entire year! So it's not a surprise that waterfalls would be flowing beautifully now. Mel Smith took a hike on the Point Arena-Stornetta Lands recently and photographed this waterfall.
Mel was out on a rare sunny day, as we've had storm after storm roll in. This weekend is predicted to be sunny and mild, a perfect time to visit the coast. To find this waterfall, here is a link to a previous post with directions: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/06/15/a-hidden-waterfall-on-the-stornetta-public-lands-in-mendocino-county/
Thanks to Mel for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
Mel Smith photographed this red Crab, which was inadvertently caught by a fisherman at the end of the Point Arena Pier.
I sent Mel’s photo to Carol Preston of NOAA. She wrote back, “It’s a Kelp Crab, Pugettia producta. It has two color morphs, red or olive green. This is a red color morph.” Mel said he has seen the green ones, but this is his first sighting of a red Kelp Crab.
Thanks to Carol for her expertise, and thanks to Mel for allowing me to share his photo with you here.