Winter Storms
Bring Rewards
Of Mendo Spring
The months between January and May
bring dramatic changes to the landscape
of Mendocino County. January is chilly
and may be wet, but January also brings
dramatic storms, beautiful sunsets, and
views of snow covered mountain peaks. In
January, residents and visitors have opportunities to enjoy two favorite local foods
–Dungeness crab and wild mushrooms.
In 2008, Wine and Crab Days
are combined with Wine and Mushroom Days for three weekends of Taste
Mendocino! On January 25, the Noyo
Women for Fisheries will present a program about Commercial Crab Fishing. A
highlight of Wine and Crab Days is the
crab cake cook-off, featuring local chefs,
to be held in Noyo Harbor Saturday, January 26 for the benefit of Coast Clinics.
The Wine and Mushroom Festival will
take place on January 31 to February 3.
On the following weekend on February 9-
10, the 3rd annual Alsace Varietals Festival
will take place in the Anderson Valley. For
information about these events, visit the
web site: www.gomendo.com.
February brings longer daylight hours,
Valentines Day, and Presidents Weekend.
February also brings the flowering of
daffodils and calla lilies in cemeteries, gardens, and places where gardens had existed
in the past. In February, gray whales can
be seen migrating north to the Bering Sea.
Fields and forests show interesting changes during the winter months.
Madrone and redbud bloom in the inland
hills and valleys during March. Many species of mushrooms are found in redwood
and oak forests. Trillium flowers appear in
redwood forests and wildflowers bloom on
the sand dunes along MacKerricher State
Park Beach and Manchester Beach
Early rhododendrons bloom in the
Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens
NANCY BARTH
south of Fort Bragg. The Botanical Gardens offers monthly plant care workshops
on the third Saturday of each month.
Residents and visitors are also invited to
join guided bird walks at the Botanical
Gardens on the first Saturday and the
third Wednesday of every month. For
more information about the Botanical
Gardens, visit: www.gardenbythesea.org
or call (707) 964-4352. During the whole
year, the Botanical Gardens always have
some plants in bloom and their outstanding succulent garden is always colorful.
Easter, which falls on March 23,
brings vacationing visitors to Mendocino
County. Although spring begins on
March 20, visitors should be prepared for
rain and windstorms during March. The
County’s hills and headlands are green and
new lambs can be seen on the South Coast
and in the Anderson Valley. In inland valleys, fruit trees begin to bloom, and leaves
appear on deciduous trees.
April 1 marks the opening of the
abalone harvesting season. To ensure the
protection of the future abalone population, regulations for harvesting are strictly
enforced. In addition to following the
Department of Fish and Game regulations, abalone divers should check ocean
conditions before they go into the water.
Early in April, resident harbor seals give
births to pups at local rookeries. MacKerricher State Park visitors can watch seal
pups at the Laguna Point observation deck
without disturbing the pups, which learn
to swim shortly after they are born. Volunteers from State Parks and The Marine
Mammal Center are present to answer
questions about harbor seals.
On the weekend of April 26-27, wildflower lovers meet in Boonville for the annual Spring Wildflower Show. Hundreds
of native plants are on display and some
are for sale at the Boonville Fairgrounds.
April is the month to see wild rhododendrons in coastal redwood forests and
even in the pygmy forests. By the beginning of May, rhododendron nurseries near
Fort Bragg are in bloom with many colors
of cultivated rhododendrons. On May
3-4, rhododendron fanciers will gather
at Fort Bragg’s Dana Gray Elementary
School for the 31st Annual John Druecker
Memorial Rhododendron Show and Sale.
By the first of May, Mendocino
County days are longer and warmer and
major storms are over. Winter is a memory
and summer will be coming soon.
