Tag Archives: Amy Ruegg

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*This post has been amended - I thought these were Krill but Tim Bray let me know I was incorrect, and Robert Van Syoc agreed. They are Mysids.* Amy Ruegg recently saw Mysids at low tide. She described them as tiny with brown bodies and two black eyes. She used a Tupperware bowl to scoop them up for a closer look. Their common name is Opossum Shrimp. They are small, shrimp-like crustaceans. They are an important food source for many fish and even great whales when they feed on rocky reef areas.

She also spotted a Shield-backed Kelp Crab which she also scooped up for a closer look. You can see tiny Mysids in the bowl too, to give you perspective.

Amy returned the Crab to his home in the kelp and the Mysids back into the Pacific Ocean.

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

We have a stretch of sunny weather here on the Mendonoma Coast. Look for the Orion meteor shower, which peaks on Oct. 21 and Oct 22nd in the early hours of the morning.

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Amy Ruegg photographed a native wildflower that can be difficult to spot, a Yellow Pond Lily. She found it growing on top of a sag pond on The Sea Ranch. What a beauty!

Here's what Amy wrote about her lovely find:

"It is truly a stunning blossom that tells the tales of the Lotus flower of the Orient; from out of the dark depths of pond mud springs green vital life! Giving rise to a glowing, globe of yellow fertility and creation, mysterious seeds that senesce into the goo from which they came, and set seed for another generation. What fun!” I confess, I had to look up the word “senesce.” It means to grow old; wither.

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

We are having a warm, breezy day. The fog bank pretty much disappeared this afternoon.

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Amy Ruegg was out looking for some of our earlier blooming native wildflowers. She struck gold! She found several Giant Trilliums, Trillium chloropetalum.

And Western Dog Violets, Viola adunca.

Amy found Golden-eyed Grass too, Sisyrinchium californicum.

In today's Independent Coast Observer you can see the beautiful Spotted Coralroot Orchid Amy found. Most wildflowers are quite small - Mother Nature's way of seeing if you are paying attention!

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

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This would be a great time to search out the various waterfalls on the Mendonoma Coast. Amy Ruegg recently photographed one of the six waterfalls to be found at Black Point Beach on The Sea Ranch.

One year Craig Tooley photographed the waterfalls at Black Point Beach under a stormy sky. I purchased this photo as a gift for my sister.

Craig's photo also appears in our book, Mendonoma Sightings Throughout the Year.

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

Brilliant sunshine on the Mendonoma Coast today.

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Amy Ruegg found an early Wild Ginger, Asarum caudatum, in bloom. They are  members of the Pipevine Family, and they are found in moist forests.

These plants don't actually have petals; they have three maroon sepals that are often hidden under the heart-shaped leaves. The leaves give this native wildflower its common name of Wild Ginger. Rub them gently to release a ginger scent.

Banana Slugs and Ants play a role in pollinating this beautiful plant, carrying its seeds to new locations in the forest. They are low growers, so you need to pay attention. Amy photographed this Wild Ginger on a trail on The Sea Ranch last weekend.

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

Once again we are having nothing but blue skies and warm temps. Many Gray Whales are being seen in this calm stretch of weather. They are headed southward for the birthing and mating lagoons off of Baja. It's always a thrill to see spouts out on the ocean.