Suagarsticks are blooming now. The two small rain events we had last week seems to have coaxed a few new ones into appearing. I invited Craig Tooley over to see a group on a neighboring property and we found a new group had just appeared.

The big fat stalk on the right was nearly 10 inches tall! And there are five other sugarsticks poking up from the forest duff. Here is a close-up of this unusual plant.

These plants are quite jewel-like. They have a symbiotic relationship with fungi. And that fungi is Matsutake!

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.ruffimage.com

We are in for a patch of warm weather as a major heatwave settles over the west. It's beautiful today, with a nice gentle breeze. Thursday and Friday are forecast to be quite warm, but nothing like inland temps, which will be HOT! Head for the coast.