Tag Archives: rare

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Peter Baye found this beauty, which is endemic to the Mendocino Coast, Mendocino Coast Paintbrush, Castilleja mendocinensis. It grows in coastal sage scrub habitat.

This native wildflower is considered rare, and it's a treat to see it.

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

We've had a pretty darn big rainstorm. Our rain gauge had 1.80 inches when it was all said and done. Total season to date is 48.40 inches, and 50 inches is a "normal" year here. Today the Pacific Ocean is riled up, with big breakers crashing into bluffs and on sandy beaches. It's LOUD! Skies are blue, as the storm clouds have left. It should be a lovely weekend here on the Mendonoma Coast!

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Irene Leidner was walking at Gualala Point Regional Park when she saw something white ahead of her. She thought it might be a piece of trash. But when she got closer she found she had found the rare and endemic Fringed Corn Lily in bloom.

Irene said it was if the sun had come out!

It's interesting to see the leaves are mostly intact. Usually, by the time this plant flowers, the leaves have been riddled with holes made by munching insects.

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

We had a vigorous storm yesterday! 1.6 inches in our rain gauge, and a total of 4.2 inches season to date. More rain is coming in tonight, and tomorrow is suppose to be very wet. What a blessing October rain is for the land, and the rivers and creeks.

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A faint outline of a Sun Pillar appeared just before the sun set yesterday, Saturday. But after the sun disappeared, a beautiful, vibrant Sun Pillar was evident in the night sky.

We don't see this very often, so it was special to witness it. And I'm happy I have a photo of mine to show you today. Here's some info on Sun Pillars from Wikipedia:

"A light pillar is an atmospheric optical phenomenon in which a vertical beam of light appears to extend above and/or below a light source. The effect is created by the reflection of light from tiny ice crystals that are suspended in the atmosphere or that comprise high-altitude clouds."

Another spectacular, warm Autumn day on the Mendonoma Coast.

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I always look forward to this beautiful native wildflower, which blooms in late spring and sometimes into early summer. It's the Coast Lily, Lilium maritimum. Mary Sue Ittner found it blooming recently.

This wildflower is endemic to the coast and is found near water. You should never pick them or dig them up. They are quite rare and a treat to see. A neighbor has a few that grow near her spring box. And there is a group of them that grows along Highway One at Salt Point State Park. Look for the splash of orange-red now near mile marker 38.83 on the east side.

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

We have a lovely, calm (no wind!) day today with a chance...oh, I hope it happens...a chance of some rain later today/tonight. Fingers crossed!

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Last year Mel Smith found three rare Groundcones on a neighboring property. I've been looking ever since to see if there might be a few on Rick's and my land. A few days ago, I was rewarded. I present to you this rare sighting of Groundcones, Kopsiopsis hookeri.

There is a lot of sandstone where we live, and these parasitic plants are growing in the sandy soil.

Our neighbor's property shares several other sightings with our land - matsutake mushrooms in the winter, Sugarstick, another unusual parasitic plant, and mixed forest and shrubs, which include manzanita, huckleberry, Bishop pines, Tan-oak, Redwoods, Douglas Fir, and more. Sugarsticks, Allotropa virgata, are just barely peeking through the forest duff. Here is a photo from a previous year of these beautiful plants.

There is something magical going on underneath our feet!

It's a beautiful spring day on the Mendonoma Coast. The wind has died down, and the clouds are gone. There is some much-needed rain coming in late this weekend. Fingers crossed!