Tag Archives: Anchor Bay

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It's unusual for the Mendonoma Coast to be hit by winter-like storms in early October but that is what is happening. Yesterday we got nearly two inches of rain at our home in Anchor Bay. Another even bigger storm is due in tonight. Batten down the hatches! But this morning's sunrise was lovely.

Several friends have told me they have found Chanterelles, Cantharellus cibarius, in the past couple of days. This morning, in our forest, Rick and I saw golden Chanterelles just appearing. Notice the Banana Slug approaching them too.

Chanterelles are among the most delicious of the coast's wild mushrooms. Thank you, Mother Nature!

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I so enjoy California Honeysuckle - Lonicera hispidula. In the spring lovely pink blossoms appear. And now, on this first day of autumn, the berries that formed after the blossoms have begun to ripen. They are round and a brilliant orange-red. They are edible but very bitter. Some birds will eat them if they can't find other food. With all the Huckleberry bushes we have on our property in Anchor Bay providing a multitude of sweet berries, the fruits of the Honeysuckle usually adorn the vines well into winter.

To see their pink blossoms, click on this link and imagine you are smelling their delicate fragrance: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/06/30/california-honeysuckle-has-begun-blooming-such-a-delicate-climbing-beauty/

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Last night - and a balmy one it was - Rick and I heard a Western Screech Owl calling just outside our courtyard. These owls don't screech! They have a very melodic, soothing call. We know we have Screech Owls in our area in Anchor Bay because last year we found two juveniles in a dark canyon. Here's the link to see them on this blog: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/04/29/hoping-for-a-western-screech-owl-to-take-up-residence-in-my-beautiful-owl-house/

I decided I'd like to learn more about owl calls. I found a great web site, forgetting that I had turned the volume on my iPad all the way up. Huckleberry was sleeping behind Rick and me. It was very tranquil and quiet. Quiet, that is, until I clicked on the very loud "hoo, hoo, hooooo" sounds of a Great Horned Owl. The calls boomed out into our house, echoing off the walls. Huckleberry reared up in great alarm, looked everywhere in the living room and then began barking.

Here's a photo of a Great Horned Owl taken by Steve Wilcox. I thank him for allowing me to share his photo here.

And if you'd like to hear their call, here's a link: http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Bubo&species=virginianus But learn from my lesson and keep the sound down so you don't scare your furry friends!

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Leopard Lilies, Lilium pardalinum, are just about done with blooming. I have a group in my garden that is safe from our coastal Deer so Rick and I have been able to enjoy their exotic beauty for weeks. The Leopard Lilies in our forest were all eaten by Deer this year - only one actually bloomed, but only for a few days before it was eaten. These beauties are also called Tiger Lilies or Panther Lilies. As I have written here before, their roots have medicinal qualities. We just enjoy the brilliant splash of orange loveliness.

My best to you today! Jeanne Jackson

And here's what the one Lily that bloomed in the forest looked like:
http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/07/05/the-first-leopard-lily-has-bloomed-at-the-edge-of-quinliven-creek-an-exotic-beauty-on-the-mendonoma-coast/

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Just look at this beauty! When I researched this Dragonfly, I learned it is very difficult to get a picture of one as they are always on the move. And, if they are perched, they are difficult to spot as they blend in with their surroundings. Rick and I were lucky to see it flitting near our neighbor's spring box and then watch it land.  The Pacific Spiketail's Latin name is Cordulegaster dorsalis. The black near the bottom of the Dragonfly almost looks like duct tape, don't you think? And, my, what blue eyes it has! I feel fortunate to be able to share my photo with you here.