Tag Archives: Nan Brichetto

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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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Fringed Corn Lilies, Veratrum fimbriatum, are rare, growing in shaded, moist areas on the Sonoma and Mendocino Coasts. The plant's leaves are quite beautiful when they emerge in the spring. Fringed Corn Lilies are beginning to bloom as we head for the first day of autumn. The leaves now show wear and tear, but the beautiful blossom rises above it all.

I have two pictures of the blossom to share with you. First John Sperry's photo, showing the fresh blossom and the riddled leaves.

And next is Nan Brichetto's close-up photo of the blossom.

And if you'd like to see the leaves as they looked this spring, you can click on this link to an April posting here on Mendonoma Sightings! http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/04/08/fringed-corn-lily-leaves-a-rare-mendonoma-plant/

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Sugarstick, also called Candystick, is a very unusual plant that grows on the West Coast. Its Latin name is Allotropa virgata. "Allotropa" means turned differently and refers to the flowers that turn outward or upward on this plant. It's unusual in that it doesn't have chlorophyll and is incapable of photosynthesis. So how does it survive? It obtains its food from fungi that are associated with host trees such as Douglas-Fir and Tan Oak.

It's a rare treat to find one. Nan Brichetto photographed this beauty and I thank her for allowing me to show it to you here.

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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.

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Here's a beautiful wildflower for you today! Nan Brichetto photographed this lovely flower yesterday on the Jenner Grade in Sonoma County. It's a shade lover and has maple-like leaves. The greens are edible - Native Americans boiled the greens for vegetables. The flower heads contain nectar, which attracts hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. The striking Sphinx Moth is the pollinator for the Western Columbine.