Tag Archives: Mel Smith

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On Sunday Mel Smith found this Monarch nectaring on a butterfly bush in Point Arena.

And Chris Pechal found two Monarchs at The Sea Ranch. In the photo on the left, you can tell it's a male Monarch because of the two black dots on its lower wings. He is nectaring on thistle. In the other photo, the beautiful Monarch is nectaring on Coyote Bush.

These Monarchs come to the coast to feed before their journey to their overwintering sites. They live approximately seven months, and are called the Methuselah generation. We hope to see many more Monarchs in the days ahead.

Thanks to Mel and Chris for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Warm today - no fog at all. It's a spectacular autumn day!

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Mel Smith saw this Bobcat near his home in Point Arena. He took the photo with his phone through a spotting scope.

Bobcats are often seen in the daylight hours here on the Mendonoma Coast. They are supposed to be nocturnal but perhaps they have evolved. I receive many sightings of Bobcats during the day.

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

It's a beautiful autumn day here, mid-sixties, with no wind. We've had 1.60 inches of rain so far. Mushroomers are wondering if this is enough rain to get the boletus edulis, the porcini, going in the days ahead, but that's an unknown at this point.

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Mel Smith and Linda Bostwick are grandparents! Yes, the Ensatina Salamander eggs hatched in their water meter box in Point Arena.

Gary Nafis of californiaherps.com took a look at Mel’s photo. He wrote, “Look at all those cute little babies!” I asked Gary what to expect next. He wrote, “The young will probably stay there with the mother until it rains enough for the ground to be saturated as long as they don't have too much trouble climbing up the sides of the meter box. Maybe Linda and Mel can check back to find out.”

We think there are about one dozen little salamanders in the water meter box. And Linda and Mel will keep checking on them.

It's sunny and warm this afternoon with no wind. But the leading edge of the storm, the first clouds, are flowing in from the north. We have a chance for an early rainstorm tomorrow, and what a blessing that would be!

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My brother-in-law, Mel Smith, spotted this rare beauty several years ago in Anchor Bay. It was mostly hidden under a huckleberry bush, but Mel has a very good eye! It did not bloom last year but appeared again this year, much to our delight. It is in full flower today. It's about an inch high.

And here are two that are up but not yet opened, growing in sandy soil. They look like little fir cones!

I was able to show these to botanist Peter Baye several years ago. He had never seen them before. He said sightings of these plants on the Mendonoma Coast are rarer than a UFO sighting!

I took these photos.

It was super foggy this morning, but the fog pulled back giving us a mild, beautiful day.

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Eric Zetterholm spotted this Osprey taking a bath in the Gualala River. It's good to see Ospreys returning to our coast where they choose to nest.

Another returning bird was seen on St. Patrick's Day, Friday the 17th. Mel Smith spotted a Violet-green Swallow at his place in Point Arena. Surely spring is close! What? Tomorrow, you say?!? Nice!

It's raining here today. It started during the night, raining hard. When I read my gauge in the morning, there was a half inch. That brings my season to date total to 57.40 inches. I consider 50 inches a "normal" rain year at Rick's and my place in Anchor Bay.