Tag Archives: Amy Ruegg

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Amy Ruegg found a mass of golden eggs of an unusual fish at an low tide.

She wrote, “What a beautiful morning and a nice minus tide at Pebble Beach! There were lots of the usual culprits like Bat Stars, Purple Urchins, Abalone, Anemones and Chitons. This, however, was a pretty surprise. INaturalist says they are the eggs of the Plainfin midshipman, which would be exciting enough, but when googling this species, I find out they have three sexes! Female, male I and male II.”

Amy also learned this batrachoid toadfish is bioluminescent and they make a humming sound that nearby humans can hear. Amazing!

Thanks to Amy for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

It's a glorious day on the Mendonoma Coast - sunny and in the low 70s with no wind!

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Witches Teeth are also called Bi-colored Lotus. They are quite small so you have to look closely to see them. One petal is yellow – the poor witch’s tooth – and the others are white to pink. Amy Ruegg recently photographed some.

They are found in moist areas. They are thought to be the host plant of a butterfly that may be extinct. It’s the Lotis Blue Butterfly, with only an inch wingspan and it hasn’t been seen for thirty years. It was native to the Mendocino coast, but this butterfly was seen in Sonoma and Marin years ago. I read that conservationists believe there may be some still here in remote areas of Mendocino county. Wouldn’t it be something of one of us spotted this butterfly? When you find Witches Teeth, keep watch for this small blue butterfly. To see a photo of it, here is a link to the Essig Museum of Entomology, University of California, Berkeley. https://essig.berkeley.edu/endangered/endangered_plebloti/

Thanks to Amy for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

It is sunny with a gentle breeze. Maybe some rain late tomorrow? We’ll see!

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Last Sunday was a mixed bag, weather-wise. But butterflies had a sunny window to get out and find some sweet nectar. Amy found several different kinds of butterflies.

First up is one we don't see very often, a Two-banded Skipper.

And one of our most common butterflies, Gray or Grey Buckeye. It's been recently renamed - previously it was called a Common Buckeye.

Then another rarer one, an Echo Azure.

And finally the bright Mylitta Crescent.

Quite a nice bunch of butterfly sightings by Amy! Thanks to Amy for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

Sunny and breezy today. Our weather forecast changed and more rain is headed our way by Thursday afternoon.

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Amy Ruegg was headed north on Highway One when she saw this beautiful sight.

She was near Deer Trail on The Sea Ranch. How's this for a great way to start your day? Amy said it was a true blessing and reminder/message of hope.

Thanks to Amy for allowing me to share her photo with you here. May your days be filled with rainbows too!

We had a big storm come in last night. Over 2.15 inches of rain fell. This afternoon there has been rain and hail but now it is sunny! What's next?

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Amy Ruegg spotted these Stream Violets in riotous bloom.

And delicate Calypso Orchid.

The wildflowers know spring is coming! Thanks to Amy for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

Sunny one moment, then driving rain and hail the next. It actually hailed so much in Point Arena last night, that it looked like snow, even at the Point Arena Pier. I'll be sharing some of those photos soon.