I spotted my first reptile of the year at Roy's Redwoods this week!
I came across this Western Fence Lizard basking on a boulder alongside Roy's Redwoods Loop Trail. These lizards are a common sight on sunny trails in the warm months here.
FUNGI
In the deep shade of the redwood forest, the fungi are still fruiting.
PLANTS
It was a good week for forest wildflowers, too. In the mixed evergreen forest, Checker Lilies are sending up tall, leggy flower stalks.
Strange orchids are blooming here, too.
Striped Coralroot is a parasitic orchid. They don't photosynthesize; in fact, they lack chlorophyll (and green leaves) entirely. Instead, they feed on mycorrhizal (tree-partner) fungi growing on roots underground. These were growing in an area that's especially mushroom-abundant in winter, near Douglas-fir and Coast Live Oak.
ANIMALS
Previously: 07 - 13 April 2019 - Thimblecap Morel Edition
Next: 21 - 27 April 2019
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