Tag Archives: C’Anna Bergman-Hill

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The day Ken Bailey photographed the two Bald Eagles, he also photographed a Common Raven perched on a snag.

Ravens are bigger cousins of Crows. They are extremely intelligent and have many vocalizations. I was told there are over 40 different sounds Ravens make. To prove the point, a few days ago I thought our golden retriever, Sunny, was choking. Nope, it was a Raven just outside the open window. Fooled again!

A fun photo of a Raven was taken by C'Anna Bergman-Hill. She captioned it, "Look Ma, I'm standing on one leg!"

Thanks to Ken and C'Anna for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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It's our earliest wildflower, the one with the unlovely common  names, Slink Pod and Fetid Adder's Tongue, Scoliopus bigelovii.  I recently found one blooming in our forest. You can see its leaves are just peeking up at the base of the stem.

This is what we look like trying to find one of these tiny wildflowers. This photo was taken by C'Anna Bergman-Hill a few years ago, the very same place I found them last week.

Craig Tooley took this close-up photo, which is in our book, Mendonoma Sightings Throughout the Year. Yes, it's a MUCH better photo than mine! The leaves of this member of the Lily family are distinctively mottled. If you find the leaves, which can grow to 12 inches long, you know where to look for the earlier-blooming flower next winter.

Thanks to C'Anna and Craig for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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The Salal Trail is rather hard to find. The trailhead is in Gualala Point Regional Park. After you pass the pay station, turn into the parking area on the left and park in the right side. To your left you will see the beginning of the trail.

Beginning of Salal Trail by Jeanne Jackson (Medium)

You amble down a path between Highway One and the golf course. The trail then heads west. Rick and I, along with friends C'Anna and David Bergman-Hill and our new rescue golden retriever, Sunny, recently enjoyed the trail.

We found summer wildflowers in bloom. Here David has photographed C'Anna and me finding Wight's Paintbrush.

C'Anna Bergman-Hill and Jeanne Jackson find Wight's Paintbrush by David Bergman-Hill

Here's a close-up of this native wildflower, photo by Craig Tooley.

Wight's Paintbrush by Craig Tooley

We came to the waterfall and even in the drought there is a slight trickle. When the winter rains come, the waterfall is glorious. Here's are two photos I took a few years ago. It's really a magical place.

View of waterfall on Salal Trail by Jeanne Jackson (Medium) Waterfall on the Salal Trail by Jeanne Jackson (Medium)

Finally, at the end of the trail, you come to a small beach, which is where Rick and Sunny are. This photo was taken by C'Anna.

Rick and Sunny at the end of the Salal Trail by C'Anna Bergman-Hill

We feel very fortunate Salal Trail is a public access trail. There is no other quite like it!
Thanks to C'Anna, David, 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.

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Rick and I wanted to show our friends the hard to spot wildflower, the Fetid Adder's Tongue. Worst. Name. Ever. It is also called Slinkpod, almost as bad a name. Its scientific name is Scoliopus bigelovii.

Here we all are searching for the tiny orchid-like wildflower. Huckleberry, our golden retriever, is assisting in the hunt.

Rick was the one who spotted it. It was only about two inches high. You can see the two distinctive mottled leaves on the forest floor.

Trilliums and Milkmaids are also blooming now. We are having warm, sunny weather, which we are able to enjoy because there is a lot of rain in our forecast!

Thanks to C'Anna Bergman-Hill for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

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It's Latin name sounds pretty scary -Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis. California Red-sided Gartersnakes are only found on the California Coast from Humboldt County south to Monterey Bay. Peter Baye recently photographed one found along Tenmile River.

They have a toxin in their saliva which can be deadly to their prey. They are not considered harmful to humans but I wouldn't want to be bitten by one. Their bite could cause an adverse reaction. California Red-sided Gartersnakes eat a wide variety of creatures, including Banana Slugs. Gartersnakes are the only known creature that can eat Rough-skinned Newts.

They are great swimmers and will often retreat into the water if threatened. C'Anna Bergman Hill photographed this Red-sided Gartnersnake in a creek on the Stornetta Public Lands.

Thanks to Peter and C'Anna for allowing me to share their photos with you here.