Bill Budge took this photo from his home at the north end of Gualala. There is a rock formation offshore that looks like a castle. Bill found a beautiful Fogbow recently, framing Castle Rock.
Thanks to Bill for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
Lots of fog this morning near the ocean, but it pulled back in most places. It's been in the mid 70's at Rick's and my place in Anchor Bay this afternoon. Beautiful!
Ron Bolander found this duo recently. It looks to me like an adult in the back, with a younger Gray Fox in the front.I wonder if they were hunting for a tasty rodent in the grassy meadow where Ron found them.
Thanks to Ron for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
oh, it's a beautiful day here today - breezy and warm, with plenty of blue sky!
Menka Sethi wrote, “A Bobcat recently sauntered through my backyard and into the abutting Mill Meadow. Wanting to share this with neighbors, I pulled out my phone camera. In a split-second, a Raven dive-bombed the Bobcat, and the Bobcat flipped upside down, landed back on four paws, and took off into the meadow. Did I imagine this? No - there on my phone was the image of a Bobcat seemingly floating above the meadow with four paws pointed toward the sky.”
A one-in-a-million photograph by The Sea Ranch's Community Manager!
Thanks to Menka for allowing me to share her photo with you here.
There was an error in my previous post - it was an Allen's Hummingbird, not an Anna's. Sorry about that! Thanks to all who wrote in to correct the post.
This morning felt very autumn-like, with breezes and sun. Then this afternoon clouds have moved in, and temps are very mild, mid-60's.
Michael Reinhart caught this Allen's hummingbird taking a short rest.
Fun Facts: Allen's Hummingbirds live an average of 5 years. They only weigh about 0.11 ounces. Hummingbirds are the only birds known to fly backward.
Thanks to Mike for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
Sunny this morning but the fog rolled in this afternoon. It feels like autumn today, temps in the low 60's.
Karen Wilkinson wrote, “Have you ever really seen a flower? Walking the Gualala River to find wildflowers in bloom is a beloved pastime. Sharing it with botanical buddies is even better. The closer you look at a flower, the more exquisite they become. Take this Scarlet Monkeyflower, if you touch the stigma with the tip of your finger, it closes up. I think this is connected to the way it gets pollinated, but I'm not sure why. What I am sure about is that this flower is my new favorite.” Karen got a nice photo of an Anna’s Hummingbird coming in for nectar and another showing the stigma and anthers touching the hummer’s head.
I asked Botanist Peter Baye why the stigma, the part of the flower that receives pollen during pollination, would close. He wrote, “Had to look this one up! Fortunately there was some new research just published this year on it by Lila Fishman and colleagues at the University of Montana. Closure of the stigma lobes in monkeyflowers are interpreted as a means of maximizing cross-pollination over less advantageous self-pollination.”
Peter also wrote, after looking at Karen’s beautiful photos, “It is wonderful to see photos of observant naturalists rediscovering the Gualala River bed, and not just a stone's throw from Highway 1! It needs to be rediscovered constantly, as its never the same two consecutive years! I know people love the Russian River, but frankly, the native biological richness of the Gualala has more to offer explorers.”
Very interesting to learn about this! Thanks to Karen for allowing me to share her photos with you here.
While it is hot, hot, hot inland, a fog bank is keeping things cool along the Mendonoma Coast. Temps have been in the mid sixties. Nice!