Tag Archives: Wild Azaleas

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Jerry Rudy had a Ceanothus Silkmoth pay a visit to his Timber Cove home. And she was pregnant. Here's what Jerry wrote,  “This mother moth showed up on our doorstep last week. We set her on a native azalea and she promptly laid about 50 eggs. I believe they hatch in about 10 days and I am considering moving them onto our local Ceanothus.”

You can see the eggs on the azalea stalk. Amazing photo!

And here is a photo Wendy Bailey took a few weeks ago of this beautiful, big moth.

Thanks to Jerry and Wendy for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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Rick and I saw the first Wild Rhododendron flowers blooming along Highway One in Salt Point State Park on Wednesday. The beautiful pink blossoms are always a treat to see. And the first Wild Azaleas have bloomed. Robert Scarola photographed a early bloomer.

Just the two blossoms are open but aren't they lovely? So much more loveliness is to come as these beauties will continue to bloom in the weeks ahead. Thanks to Robert for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

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While Foxglove isn't a native plant - it is native to Europe - it seems at home on the Mendonoma Coast. It blooms at the same time as our native Wild Rhododendrons and Azaleas and is a member of the Figwort family. It's Latin name is Digitalis, which means finger-like. Its blossoms are the perfect size for putting one's finger inside. It has a well-known medicinal use, which strengthens and regulates the beating of the heart. The plant itself is poisonous so don't eat it, just enjoy looking at its beauty!

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The Wild Rhododendrons - and the Wild Azaleas too - are just magnificent this spring on the Mendonoma Coast. Rick and I have never seen so many blossoms as we have been seeing this year. They are obviously loving all the late rains we been having. Their loveliness is our reward for having such a damp spring. Splashes of pink adorn the edges of the forest. Life is good.

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The late rains have given the Mendonoma Coast a fantastic wildflower season. Wild rhododendrons and azaleas continue to bloom in abundance though today's wind won't be kind to them. Salt Point State Park is in Sonoma County is one of my favorite parks. It spans many miles on both sides of Highway One. (Note to our elected leaders: To have this or any state park closed is a travesty.) John Sperry kindly allowed me to share his photo of the wildflowers now blooming on the bluffs.