Tag Archives: Will Erickson

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Here's Peter Baye's experience recently on a kayak trip on Ten Mile River, north of Fort Bragg.

“Will Erickson and I found innumerable small crabs covering the eelgrass beds of the estuary, and running over the bottom on the flood tide as though stampeding! We estimated at least 50 per square yard. They looked like little Dungeness Crabs, and it turns out that’s exactly what they are! The eelgrass beds seem to be a nursery.”

A Dungeness Crab nursery, how wonderful is that? Dungeness Crab from the waters off the Mendonoma coast is delicious. Knowing that there are so many baby crabs in the estuary is like having money in the bank!

Ten Mile River is found ten miles north of the mouth of the Noyo River in Fort Bragg.

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

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Harmony Susalla found this moth on a flower pot near her home. I have to admit I have never seen one of these so Will Erickson to the rescue. He identified it as a Owlet Moth, Noctuidae.

Isn't it beautifully marked? These moths are preyed upon by bats, as they fly at night. But many of these moths have an organ in their ear that can sense a bat's call. The wing muscles then go into spasms, causing it to fly erratically. Mother Nature sure gave this moth an interesting escape mechanism!

The other insect Harmony photographed was seen at Gualala Point Regional Park. According to Will, it's a Scarab Beetle, Dichelonyx.

Thanks to Harmony for allowing me to share her photos and thanks to Will for identifying these beauties. To see Harmony's beautiful organic textiles, here's the link to her website: http://www.harmonyart.com/

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On a hike with Peter Baye and Will Ericson last Sunday - two of my Sightings experts - Rick and I showed them the ancient, twisted Redwood tree on a neighboring property. Peter declared it a forest god and said it was perhaps 2000 years old. I will give you the link below to see photos I have previously posted of this glorious tree.

We then visited our neighbors Frank and Nan Drouillard who showed us the most unusual growths on the forest floor.

I thought they were a type parasitic mushroom but after some research Peter believes the first photo is California Groundcones, Boschniakia strobilacea, a parasitic plant. Both plants are members of the broomrape family  and live off the roots of Manzanita and Madrone, both of which are found on Frank and Nan's land. More study is needed to determine exactly what the white plants are.

Rick and I will hike down to this spot and monitor the progress in the weeks to come. And I will, of course, share the photos with you here.

Here is the link to see the "forest god" old-growth redwood tree: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/05/26/old-growth-redwood-tree-that-survived-the-loggers-because-it-grew-in-a-twisted-shape/

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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/

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Will Ericson loves exploring the reaches of the wild Gualala River. A while back he discovered this juvenile frog, a Foothill Yellow-legged Frog, Ranas Boylii. You will see it is not much bigger than a quarter.

Here it is in one of the tributaries of the Gualala River.

 And here is an adult Foothill Yellow-legged Frog photographed by Peter Baye. You can see that it blends in well with the rocks in the river.

They are found in Oregon, along the California Coast and down to Baja California. To see another frog, the Pacific Tree Frog, here is the link:
http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/10/21/a-tiny-frog-with-a-big-voice-meet-the-pacific-tree-frog/