Nan Brichetto took this photo last week before the huge "Rocky" fire in Lake County was fully contained. I thought it so unique and powerful that I would share it with you here.
Thanks to our heroic firefighters this fire is contained. But others are still burning and weather conditions have once again brought smoke and heat to the Mendonoma Coast.
Thanks to Nan for allowing me to share her photo with you here.
River Otters live in and by Mendonoma rivers and creeks. Steve Coffey-Smith recently spotted three River Otters in the ocean.
One place you might see River Otters is near the lagoon of the Gualala River. They cannot abide pollution so the fact that they are here is a good indication of the health of our waterways.
Though they look cute, they are feisty creatures. The female raises her pups; the male is only around for mating. One of my favorite photos was taken by Nan Brichetto of a River Otter sleeping on a beach.
Thanks to Steve and Nan for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
You'd expect to find Prince mushrooms on the Mendonoma Coast in summer. And, in fact, they are fruiting. But with the unusual heavy rain we received the end of June, we've have autumn mushrooms fruiting now - King Boletes, Chanterelles, a lone Sweettooth Hedgehog and several Cocorras. Now a Dyer's Polypore has fruited, at least a month earlier than normal. Is this the new normal? Time will tell. Nan Brichetto photographed this beauty Saturday in our forest in Anchor Bay.
This fungus helps the forest by decomposing dead wood. It is prized by dyers of yarn. When young, like this specimen, it dyes yarn yellow or orange. As the polypore ages it will dye yarn a warm brown.
Thanks to Nan for allowing me to share her photo with you here. I will enjoy watching this mushroom evolve and plan on sharing photos for you to see in the weeks to come.
Nan Brichetto came across this little green frog on the gravel banks of the Gualala River. It's a Chorus Frog or Sierran Tree Frog. It used to be called a Pacific Tree Frog but its name was changed recently.
These frogs have a big call which sounds like "ribbit, ribbit." They are able to change their color to match their surroundings. Below is a Tree Frog changing from green to rusty red. This was photographed by Clay Yale.
It must be nice to be able to camouflage oneself! Thanks to Nan and Clay for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
On a walk along the Gualala River last Saturday with friends, we can across a rare wildflower blooming in the forest. It is the Fringed Corn Lily, Veratrum fimbriatum. It is only found in Sonoma and Mendocino counties so it is a treat to see. You will see in the photo that the lovely flower attracted a lot of interest from photographer Nan Brichetto and Karen Tracy!
The leaves are quite handsome but are long gone in the autumn. Here's a link to see what the leaves looked like in spring. http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/04/08/fringed-corn-lily-leaves-a-rare-mendonoma-plant/
We had a lot of rain from yesterday's storm, three inches recorded at our house. I don't think it will be long before the Gualala River opens to the Pacific Ocean. Stay tuned!