Tag Archives: Gualala River

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Karen Wilkinson wrote, “Have you ever really seen a flower?  Walking the Gualala River to find wildflowers in bloom is a beloved pastime.  Sharing it with botanical buddies is even better.  The closer you look at a flower, the more exquisite they become. Take this Scarlet Monkeyflower, if you touch the stigma with the tip of your finger, it closes up.  I think this is connected to the way it gets pollinated, but I'm not sure why.  What I am sure about is that this flower is my new favorite.” Karen got a nice photo of an Anna’s Hummingbird coming in for nectar and another showing the stigma and anthers touching the hummer’s head.

I asked Botanist  Peter Baye why the stigma, the part of the flower that receives pollen during pollination, would close. He wrote, “Had to look this one up! Fortunately there was some new research just published this year on it by Lila Fishman and colleagues at the University of Montana. Closure of the stigma lobes in monkeyflowers are interpreted as a means of maximizing cross-pollination over less advantageous self-pollination.”

Peter also wrote, after looking at Karen’s beautiful photos, “It is wonderful to see photos of observant naturalists rediscovering the Gualala River bed, and not just a stone's throw from Highway 1! It needs to be rediscovered constantly, as its never the same two consecutive years! I know people love the Russian River, but frankly, the native biological richness of the Gualala has more to offer explorers.”

Very interesting to learn about this! Thanks to Karen for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

While it is hot, hot, hot inland, a fog bank is keeping things cool along the Mendonoma Coast. Temps have been in the mid sixties. Nice!

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A family of North American River Otters makes the Gualala River area their home. Rozanne Rapozo recently photographed the mother with her three offspring, called pups or kittens.

The pups will stay with their mom for about a year, or until she has another litter.

Here is a close-up of the mother.

River Otters are deemed semi-aquatic. They are equally comfortable in the water and on the land. For fun, here's a photo Catherine Miller took of River Otter prints, the prints with five claws.

Thanks to Rozanne and Catherine for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

The fog has been persistent over the ocean today, keeping temps down. No wind today, a lovely day here on the Mendonoma Coast.

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Peter Baye wrote, "Here's the underwater fish-eye perspective on the Wigeongrass canopy, reaching up like a vine growing through submerged dead tree branches - which these are, mantled in green filamentous algae."

"The bubbles in the Wigeongrass are pure oxygen produced by the Wigeongrass leaves getting sunlight under water. They can actually saturate the water column with oxygen by day.  May not be pretty to us, but the Gualala Roach and Steelhead juveniles love it!”

It will reach the surface in the lagoon soon. It’s not harmful; it’s beneficial. Watch for it!

Thanks to Peter for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

No wind today. There are some high clouds drifting by, and it's a nice, warm day on the Mendonoma Coast.

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Michele Melio found this Echo Azure Butterfly drinking water out of the Wheatfield Fork of the Gualala River when she took a recent walk with her dad.

These are small butterflies, and a treat to see.

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

No fog this morning, and temps were in the 60s. All of a sudden the temperature jumped, at it's 81 degrees this afternoon. Wow! Warm weather is moving in.

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Eric Zetterholm found this juvenile Bald Eagle drinking water, or perhaps looking for a fish, at the Gualala River. Behind him or her is a Killdeer on the riverbank.

Thanks to Eric for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

Sunny and very breezy this afternoon!