Tag Archives: Frank Drouillard

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Rick and I, along with our friends Nan Brichetto and Frank Drouillard, went on a hike this morning with our two Golden Retrievers. We were shocked and amazed to come across this large group of Oyster Mushrooms, Pleurotus ostreatus. They normally are found later in the fall and winter but I guess our weather has been so cool that they decided to make an early appearance. They are, of course, edible and delicious!

They were fruiting on a downed Tanoak, a hardwood that grows on the Mendonoma Coast. In this next picture they look like gardenias!

And we aren't the only creatures that covet these fungi. Check out the Banana Slugs feasting on these mushrooms on the picture below.

A gift in the forest - thank you Mother Nature!
To see another early fruiting mushroom, a Dyer's Polypore, click on this link:
http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/08/26/dyers-polypore-a-wild-mushroom-continues-to-evolve-continues-to-fascinate/
      My best to you today, Jeanne Jackson

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A beautiful member of the Lily family, the Red Clintonia, Clintonia andrewsiana ,usually is in full bloom around Mother's Day here in the United States, which is the first part of May. If the flower doesn't get eaten by a Deer, the flowers will turn into striking cobalt-blue berries.

Rozann Grunig photographed one this past week at The Sea Ranch and has allowed me to share it here. You will also see below a photo by Frank Drouillard showing the red bloom.

I love finding this shade-loving wildflower in the forest. You probably won't be surprised to learn that another name for this plant is Blue Bead Lily.

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Self Heal, Prunella vulgaris, is blooming in sunny spots on the Mendonoma Coast. There are several of these interesting wildflowers growing on our property in Anchor Bay. Last year Frank Drouillard took a very close up photo of one and was startled to see what looks like an alien face. It startled me too!

Self Heal has amazing qualities. First, its leaves are edible. They are mildly bitter greens. But its medicinal qualities set it apart from other wildflowers who might be considered "just pretty faces." It is an antiseptic and has an antibacterial effect. It's believed to be effective in cases of food poisoning. Native peoples used it to treat cuts and inflammation. It's a wonder plant!

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Frank Drouillard and Nan Brichetto were hiking in Sonoma County when they heard the racket. They looked up and saw two heads poked out of a hole of a tree. Nan usually gets the shot, but she handed the camera to Frank and he got the fantastic photo of an adult Pileated Woodpecker at the opening of the nest cavity with the two babies' heads awaiting food. Thanks much to Frank for sharing his photograph here with us.

Pileated Woodpeckers are our largest woodpeckers here on the Mendonoma Coast. They have a prehistoric look to them, don't you agree? Their territory is quite large - 200 acres or more. Their call is unique. Once heard it will never be forgotten.