Tag Archives: Pat Maxwell

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The other day I showed you a photo of a Coast Lily, which bloomed several weeks ago. Today you will see a group of Leopard Lilies blooming inside a hydrangea bush. Pat Maxwell has this beautiful sight in her garden.

Here is a close-up of Leopard Lilies, Lilium pardalinum, taken by Mary Sue Ittner.

For comparison, here is a look at the Coast Lily, previously shared here, and taken by Craig Tooley.

Thanks to Pat, Mary Sue and Craig for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Fog hugs the immediate coast but it's sunny when you move just a bit inland.

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Pat Maxwell found this Anise Swallowtail Butterfly on her appropriately-named Butterfly bush.

And Catherine Miller spotted this Pale Swallowtail Butterfly feeding on the geraniums in her garden recently.

The other swallowtail we commonly see here on the coast is a Western Tiger Swallowtail. This photo was taken some years ago by Peter Baye. This lovely butterfly is feeding on one of my favorite native wildflowers, the Leopard Lily.

 

Thanks to Pat, Catherine and Peter for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Today is simply one of the most beautiful days on the Mendonoma Coast - sunny, bright with a gently breeze.

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Sea Stars, also known as Starfish, are being seen in tide pools off the Mendonoma coast. That's good news, because we were losing them to a wasting disease. Patricia Maxwell went to Anchor Bay Beach with her daughter and a friend during a recent low tide. Her daughter, Lauren Hall, took these two photos, which show Ochre Stars, one purple and one orange.

These were two BIG Sea Stars, according to Pat.

Thanks to Lauren for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

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Pat Maxwell found this small bird, a Brown Creeper, stunned from his collision with her window.

The bird rested while, as Pat put it, his brain unscrambled. She said it then pooped in her hand and flew off! Brown Creepers are woodland birds. They spiral up the tallest tree they can find, looking for insects and spiders. The male's song is very high - it's easy to miss it. If  you'd like to hear their call, here is the link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Creeper/sounds

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

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On January 21st unusual clouds filled the sky. I had never seen anything like this before. Many coast residents photographed the event. These photos were taken by Don Spear,Pat Maxwell,  Michael Alexander and Shirley Mitchell respectively.

Unusual clouds by Don Spear

Unusual clouds by Pat Maxwell  Unusual clouds by Michael Alexander Unusual clouds by Shirley Mitchell

Here's what I wrote in my weekly column in the Independent Coast Observer:

Many people noticed the incredible clouds last Thursday. Justine Rosenthal’s class at Horicon School was amazed. One student said, “Look, we’re underwater!”

Michael Alexander saw them too. He wrote, “I looked up and saw these interesting cloud contours overhead. It looked almost like the surface of a very plush mattress.”

Pat Maxwell wrote, “The clouds were eerie and amazing. They reminded me of a Van Gogh painting. And for those of us who see faces in clouds, they were fascinating.”

Rick and I saw them over Gualala and we couldn’t believe our eyes. Shirley Mitchell was one of many to photograph the event. She wrote, “The clouds look like the ocean and/or sand dunes. I have never seen a sky like this. Wonders are always around us!”

Scott Gasparian knew what they were. He wrote, “They are pre-frontal strato-cumulus, with orographic forcing. In other words, the coast hills cause the waves. [There has] to be strong winds above the stratus layer to do that.”

It was an amazing sight to behold! Thanks to Pat, Don, Michael and Shirley for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

The wind has shifted this afternoon and the coast cooled off. Yesterday it was an unbelievable 81 degrees at our house. We may be headed back to winter soon, but no rain in this week's forecast.