Monthly Archives: April 2014

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John Sperry recently photographed a field of Zigadenes, Zigadenus fremontii.

Cece Case captured a Calypso Orchid, Calypso bulbosa.

And on the Point Arena-Stornetta Lands Rozann Grunig found this lovely wildflower with the unlovely name of Western Skunk Cabbage, Lysichiton americanus.

This plant loves water and is one of the few native species in the arum family. The plant is called skunk cabbage because of the distinctive "skunky" odor that it emits when it blooms. The odor of the blooms attracts its pollinators, scavenging flies and beetles.

Many more wildflowers will be blooming in the days to come as we have had the perfect equation for them to bloom.

Thanks to John, Cece and Rozann for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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I'm going to let Jerry Rudy tell this story. He wrote several weeks ago, "You will remember the Silk Moth that ended up on my back door about a year ago. She laid a bunch of eggs on a native azalea in our yard. These hatched into larvae that John Sperry and I kept fed with Ceanothus until they built their beautiful cocoons. The cocoons were attached to sticks and I placed several in our garden that is protected by netting and waited for the next stage of their life.

"Three days ago moths began to emerge from those cocoons; a female and two males so far. This is the female shortly after she emerged from her cocoon. She has inflated her wings and is ready to mate."

Jerry continues, "That night several males showed up and we found them hanging on the garden netting trying to enter the garden. We picked them off the netting and placed them near the new female. The female is still hanging onto her cocoon on the far left."

The female has moved away from her cocoon. One of the visiting males has attached his abdomen to hers and he hangs below her. Notice the difference in the size and shape of the male and female antennae."

"They remain attached for several hours as the male transferred seminal fluids to the female. By the end of their mating, the male's abdomen has shriveled up, while the female's became much plumper. Note  how worn the male's wings are as a result of his efforts to find this female.

"Since these pictures were taken the female has laid several clutches of eggs that we intend to move to a nearby Ceanothus bush. Thus the circle has closed."

I thank Jerry for allowing me to share his photos with you here, showing us something we might never get to see. To see the photo from last year of the female laying her eggs, here is the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2013/04/29/a-photo-of-a-lifetime-a-ceanothus-silkmoth-lays-her-eggs/

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Occasionally two Gray Whales can be seen mating off our coast. Larain Matheson was on a whale watching trip out of Fort Bragg. The two whales, assisted by one other whale, were mating quite close to the boat Larain was on.

Larain said it was quite rough on the ocean but she was thrilled to see this event.

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Most local Abalone divers have not gone out yet, as conditions are pretty rough. Wind and swells make it tough on divers. That hasn't stopped some visitors to the Mendonoma Coast though. There are divers in the water today.

To whet your appetite, here is a photo taken by Mark Simkins from late last year. Randy Jones got a 10.5 inch Abalone. So that's why he looks so happy!

Below is a photo Craig Tooley took showing the beautiful iridescence in the inside of the shell.

Please be safe and give the Pacific Ocean the deference she is owed. To read Jack Likins important article on why divers die in their search for red treasure, here is the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2013/05/21/why-abalone-divers-die-in-their-hunt-for-red-treasure/

Thanks to Mark and Craig for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To see much more of Craig Tooley's nature photographs, here is the link to his website: www.ruffimage.com

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Susan Moore scored this huge Boletus edulis on a friend's property. It came up the latter part of March, which is very unusual. This delicious edible mushroom normally fruits in November and December.

This is one BIG Porcini mushroom!

I did see my first Black Trumpets - Horn of Plenty - up on our property yesterday. They looked great with all the rain to prompt them to bloom.

Thanks to Susan Moore for allowing me to share her photos with you here.