Tag Archives: Stornetta Public Lands

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Baby Blue Eyes, Nemophila menziesii, are blooming in sunny spots on the Coast. A great place to see them is in the meadows at the Stornetta Public Lands. Ron LeValley recently photographed a lovely group of them near Fort Bragg at MacKerricher State Park, obviously another great place to see them.

 And here is a close-up of this wildflower. In Reny Parker's book, Wildflowers of Northern California's Wine Country & North Coast Ranges, she writes, "Baby Blue Eyes...the spring sky smiling up at itself."

Thanks to Ron for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Ron's beautiful photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.levalleyphoto.com/home/

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The largest Sea Star in the world is the Sunflower Seastar, Pycnopodia helianthoides. Travis Winters was visiting relatives on the Mendonoma Coast and took his camera along when he hiked the Stornetta Public Lands. There he found this Sea Star.

I count twenty-one limbs on this big Sea Star. They can have between 16 and 24 limbs and they grow over three feet across. They eat Sea Urchins, Clams, Snails and other invertebrates.

Thanks to Travis for sharing his photo with us here. To see other photos from the magnificent Stornetta Lands, here are a few links: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/06/15/a-hidden-waterfall-on-the-stornetta-public-lands-in-mendocino-county/  and http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2012/02/18/low-tide-at-the-stornetta-public-lands-in-point-arena-breathtaking/

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The storm door is open and one storm after another is lined up. Today started out with rain but this afternoon there is brilliant sunshine. Cloud watching - and photographing - is a Coast tradition. Andrew Duhl was hiking on the Stornetta Public Lands recently and got this beautiful photo.

In between storms we have a chance to see Gray Whales migrating south. We also can discover what new mushrooms might have appeared. This morning Rick and I found a fresh string of Matsutakes and the first Bellybutton Hedgehog. It's just a baby and we'll let it grow. I will share photos of these tomorrow.

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

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The Stornetta Public Lands bring us many wonders and here's another one - a Purple Sea Urchin "meadow." Peter Baye was exploring the tide pools of the Stornetta Lands at low tide recently when he photographed these underwater beauties.

These Sea Urchins have excavated pits in sedimentary rocks and live in a big community. They grow to about four inches across and can live up to 70 years. Their Latin name is a tongue twister - Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. They are found off the eastern edge of the Pacific Ocean, from Ensenada, Mexico to British Columbia, Canada.

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

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Will Ericson was exploring the tide pools at the Stornetta Public Lands at low tide. He ducked into a cave and discovered this Sunflower Seastar, Pycnopodia helianthoides.

This Sea Star is the largest sea star in the world, growing to more than three feet across. Will said this one was more than a foot across. They eat clams and snails but prefer sea urchins. A lovely "meadow" of sea urchins was nearby. They usually have between 16 and 24 limbs. It *looks* like this one has 21.

I thank Will for allowing me to share his unusual sighting with you here.

To see more photos of the Stornetta Lands at low tide, here's a link to a previous post: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2012/02/18/low-tide-at-the-stornetta-public-lands-in-point-arena-breathtaking/