Redwood National and State Parks (NPS)

What Are You Waiting For? America has millions of acres of public lands, including dozens of national recreation areas, more than 400 national park sites, and more than 500 national wildlife refuges. Get your vaccination, make your plan, and get outdoors!

Peek-a-boo! It probably can’t see you. That’s because sea cucumbers, like the Red Sea Cucumber (Cucumaria miniata) pictured below, do not have eyes. While some species are light sensitive, their primary senses involve touch and smell. C. miniata houses a ring of multiple, bushy-branched tentacles in its mouth, which it uses to capture detritus and plankton out of the water; when feeding, these tentacles reach out, spreading apart up to 15 cm in diameter. This species can grow... up to 25 cm long and as wide as 8 cm. It has five reddish brown rows of tube feet running from the mouth to the rear. Its baseline color varies from orange to vermillion red. Sea cucumbers are echinoderms (echino = spiny; derm = skin), all whose movements are powered by a hydrovascular network of canals and tubes. Sea cucumbers do not move fast. Most of the time this species stays in place, anchored within a hole or crevasse while it filter-feeds. When exposed during low tide, its tentacles completely retract, and all you may notice is what looks like a bumpy red cucumber! The best place to look for sea cucumbers at Redwood National and State Parks is at False Klamath Cove or Enderts Beach, or further south at Patrick’s Point State Park. You will likely only witness this species at a good low minus tide, so please plan ahead using a tide table for an area close to your tidepool destination. Always have a spotter to keep an eye on the ocean’s behavior, while you look for tidepool critters. Beware of sneaker waves! #TidepoolTuesday [Image description: A Red Sea Cucumber is shown partially exposed from under a rock, revealing the front end of its bright red-orange body lined with reddish brown rows of retracted tube feet resembling circular bumps; its feeding tentacles can not be seen, as they too are retracted.] [NPS Photo: S. Krause]

To say fungi are amazing is an understatement. Here we have the Shaggy Scalycap (Pholiota squarrosa)! This yellowish-brown or tawny mushroom has the classic mushroom shape, but it is covered with scales that are pointed downward and backward. That’s pretty cool! The amazing part however is this fungi’s chemistry Reported to be edible by some sources, this mushroom is now considered poisonous by most others, especially if consumed with alcohol; the chemistry of this combina...tion is not yet well understood, but it involves lots of vomiting and diarrhea! What is known is that this opportunistic fungus engages in chemical warfare with trees! Many plants have defenses that ward off infections caused by microbial pathogens. The scalycap has chemicals that can neutralize this response, allowing it to infect a tree more readily. This fungus usually infects trees that have already been compromised by some other disease or injury, thus it is considered a secondary parasite. If there are no sickened trees to infect, it functions just fine as a saprobe (decomposer). Shaggy scalycaps prefer hardwood trees but can attack conifers as well. You may find this fungi fruiting in clusters at the base of trees or on decomposing logs. But that’s not all! These same chemicals (phenylpropanoids) used to fight tree defenses also inhibit an enzyme which produces gout in humans. Wow! There is so much we have yet to discover about the amazing world of fungi! #FungiFriday Please note: Collecting fungi in the parks is prohibited in order to protect sensitive habitat and to provide for the enjoyment of future visitors. [Image description: A cluster of tawny-colored Shaggy Scalycaps, with round caps and stipes (stems) covered with recurved scales, grows from a decomposing log.] [NPS Photo: S. Krause]

Episode 1: Caruthers Cove Trail. This trail is on ancestral Yurok land - and is located in the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park section of Redwood National and State Parks. [Video description: This is a montage of four video clips of a uniformed park ranger descending hundreds of feet on an unpaved trail. No text appears at all. The trail begins in redwood trees, and soon the forests change to sitka spruce trees and then alder trees. As the trail passes a gully lined with ...ferns, ocean waves are heard. The ranger finally leaves the forests and walks onto a wide, gray and pebbly beach. Waves are seen crashing on the beach. It is a cloudy day. On the beach, cliffs and ridgelines are covered by trees, and steep bluffs surround three sides of the 360 degree scene]. #findyourpark #findyourvitualpark #findingpeace #EncuentraTuParque NPS Video / G. Litten

The answers to today’s Mystery Monday are: 1] Coastal Wood Fern (Dryopteris arguda); 2] Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum aleuticum); 3] Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum); and 4] Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-feminina). Can you name any other ferns in the parks? #MysteryMonday [Image description: Four ferns are pictured below: 1) a triangular shaped blade, wide at the base, pointy at the tip, with a green axis and green pinna and partially divided pinnules; 2) a fan or hand-shaped bl...ade with a black stalk and seven or more black axis with pinna and toothed pinnules; 3) a large triangular shaped blade, wide at the base, and pointy at the tip, with a green axis and pinna and divided pinnules variegated in color (because this fern is deciduous); and 4) four longer than wide blades are shown growing from a common locus, each narrow at the base and tip, with green axis containing pinna and toothed pinnules.] [NPS Photos: S. Krause]

Episode 1: Caruthers Cove Trail This trail is on ancestral Yurok land - and is located in the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park section of Redwood National and State Parks. [Video description: This is a montage of four video clips of a uniformed park ranger descending hundreds of feet on an unpaved trail. No text appears at all. The trail begins in redwood trees, and soon the forests change to sitka spruce trees and then alder trees. As the trail passes a gully lined with fe...rns, ocean waves are heard. The ranger finally leaves the forests and walks onto a wide, gray and pebbly beach. Waves are seen crashing on the beach. It is a cloudy day. Cliffs, ridgelines lined with trees , and steep bluffs surround three sides of the 360 degree scene]. #findyourpark #findyourvitualpark #findingpeace #EncuentraTuParque NPS Video / G. Litten

Looking for a temporary job in the Redwoods? Here's an opportunity to be an Engineering Equipment Operator. Apply online from today until Dec 28th. https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/586720300 NPS Photo [Image description: a promotion for a job announcement. A couple at a viewpoint look across a valley]

Watch the scientists carefully navigate this dangerous ecosystem. The coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) of northern California once covered over 2 millions acres. Today only 4% of the original forest remains, mostly protected by California State Parks and the National Park Service. The canopy of these old-growth forests shelter an ecosystem found nowhere else in the world. Scientists study the redwood canopy to understand their complexity and to gauge the impacts from cli...mate change. Due to their fragility, redwood canopies within our parks are off limits to all except professionals with valid permits. Join scientists Steve Sillett and Jim Campbell-Spickler as they make their first ascent into an unexplored old-growth redwood tree. With the help of VR technology, you too can visit the incredible redwood canopy--from the comfort of your own home! Note: the featured redwood is just outside of Redwood National and State Parks. Click and drag with a mouse or your finger to navigate the 360 video. Want to keep exploring? Download the Coast Redwood Canopy app, available now through the App Store and Google Play! We’ll also be releasing new videos every Wednesday at 12pm PST and every Saturday at 10am PST on Facebook and YouTube. You can find an Audio Description for this video here: https://youtu.be/0ZENscqj6iQ

"Find Your Peaceful Redwoods" Is About To Land. Today we’re excited to launch an original, weeks-long video series filmed in 360 degrees. A park ranger will quietly walk through a variety of trails and habitats in Redwood National and State Parks. There’s no narration in these virtual tours, you’ll only hear wind, water, birds, and footsteps. These weekly videos will range from one-minute, to six minutes long. It’s been over a year since we started filming these. We think the... timing is perfect to use this immersive format to bring the peace of the redwoods to you. These are your parks, and we are honored to help protect and share them with the world. Please share this, or tag friends who might need a peaceful escape. The first episode will be posted at 1pm (Pacific Time) today. #findyourpark #findyourvitualpark #findingpeace #EncuentraTuParque

Do you know about King Tides? Tune in tomorrow, Dec. 14, from 8:30-10:30 a.m. to learn more! We’ll be live from nine state parks talking about the #KingTides an...d the impacts of sea level rise. See this event from San Elijo State Beach, Crystal Cove State Park, Gaviota State Park, Hearst San Simeon State Park, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, Seacliff State Beach, Van Damme State Park in CA State Parks Mendocino, China Camp State Park, and California State Parks North Coast Redwoods. Plus, we’ll have special guests California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot and State Parks Director Armando Quintero and Annie Frankel with The California Coast addressing Californians during the program. If you are visiting one of your favorite local beaches, you can participate in this special event by taking photos at peak high tide and sharing them with the California King Tides Project. King Tides are happening Dec. 13 -15. Details here: www.coastal.ca.gov/kingtides/participate.html #CAKingTides #ChangeWeSea #SeaLevelRise #CaliforniaKingTides #KingTides

How well do you know your ferns? There are at least nine commonly known ferns growing throughout Redwood National and State Parks. Pictured below are four of them. Can you identify each one by species name? #MysteryMonday [Here’s a quick primer on fern anatomy: The leaflets and stalk (or stipe) make up a frond. The part of the stalk that contains the leaflets is the axis; together with the leaflets this is called a blade. The leaflets that grow from the axis are called p...inna. Pinna, in turn, can be further divided into sub leaflets called pinnules.] [Image description: Four ferns are pictured below: 1) a triangular shaped blade, wide at the base, pointy at the tip, with a green axis and green pinna and partially divided pinnules; 2) a fan or hand-shaped blade with a black stalk and seven or more black axis with pinna and toothed pinnules; 3) a large triangular shaped blade, wide at the base, and pointy at the tip, with a green axis and pinna and divided pinnules variegated in color (because this fern is deciduous); and 4) four longer than wide blades are shown growing from a common locus, each narrow at the base and tip, with green axis containing pinna and toothed pinnules.] [NPS Photos: S. Krause]

Even among the crashing, booming surf, a coastal sunset evokes tranquility at the end of a long day. Where do you find peace amid turmoil? #EncuentraTuParque #findyourpark #findingpeace... [Video description: This 39-second video features a coastal sunset with heavy surf and waves crashing against rocks in the foreground. The camera pans across the scene, from left (south) to right (west), then back again. In the distance at left (south) is the Battery Point Lighthouse decorated with lights for the holiday season, while coastal headlands loom dark in the background.] [NPS Video: M. Glore]

As the calendar inches ever closer to the beginning of the rainy season, visitors will want to pay closer attention to the footsteps they are taking on our trails. Autumn rains kickstart the migration of the Rough-skinned Newt (Taricha granulosa). These salamanders spend a good portion of the summer aestivating, which is the summertime equivalent of hibernation; this is when animals sensitive to heat or drought seek cover and enter an extended state of dormancy to avoid th...ose conditions. Newts typically aestivate under rotten pieces of wood. When the first rains arrive, they crawl out of the woodwork and may be seen travelling long distances across roads, trails, and the forest floor on their way to the creeks or ponds where they began their lives. So, as you marvel at the towering redwoods above you, please don’t forget to watch your step, so these gentle amphibians can complete their journey. #wildlifewednesday [Image description: Pictured here is the front view of a young adult Rough-skinned Newt, with its grainy, dark back and bright orange belly, as it crawls on the leaf litter of the forest floor.] [NPS Photo: S. Krause]

Here in the land of tall trees, visitors come to appreciate all that is high and mighty. The parks however also offer a seemingly endless array of tiny treasures. Welcome to the macrocosm, where you don’t need a microscope, but a magnifying glass might certainly help! Whether it’s a curled up yellow-spotted millipede, a fragile ensatina salamander or an assemblage of dainty mushrooms sprouting from a fir cone, there is always something fascinating to observe. Pictured belo...w is a close-up of a Snake Liverwort (Conocephalum conicum). Liverworts, like mosses and hornworts, belong to a group of primitive, non-vascular plants called bryophytes. Since they do not have a vascular system with conductive tubes to transport water and nutrients, they cannot grow tall or large, and are restricted to growing close to the ground. The thallus (leaf) of this plant is covered with outlined, hexagonal air chambers, giving it a scaly appearance like a snake. Look for these unique mosses growing in large mats near seeps, creeks, and waterfalls throughout the parks. #tuesdaytreasures [Image description: Pictured are the readily visible hexagonally shaped air chambers on the thallus of a Snake Liverwort, which is growing among two other species of mosses.] [NPS Photo: B. Lang]

Redwood National and State Parks protect some of the country’s most fascinating wonders. One may come for the tall trees but stay for the beautiful and bizarre specimen that call the park home. What beautiful and bizarre things can you find as you recreate in the forest? Use the tag @RedwoodNPS to share your findings and for a chance to be featured! #BeautifulandBizarre #RedwoodNPS [Coastal redwood forest understory is blanketed with sunlight and fog. Credit NPS photo.]

Are you a teacher looking for an interactive experience for your students? A student looking for answers for an assignment? Maybe you have a question about the park that even stumped Google? Well you’re in luck thanks to our Write a Ranger service. Simply send an e-mail with your questions to [email protected] OR do it the good old-fashioned way by sending a letter to the address in the link and our rangers will reply as soon as they can. https://www.nps.gov/redw/learn/education/writeranger.htm

This is your 36 hour auction alert! The Candlelight Walk Auction closes at midnight Saturday December 12 (tomorrow). Get your last bids in for everything from R...edwood Parks gift packages to gift certificates. All proceeds from the auction support RPC and our public land partners. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/ See more

Take a look at numerous reiterations and fern mats in the gnarled crown of this redwood’s canopy. The coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) of northern California once covered over 2 millions acres. Today only 4% of the original forest remains, mostly protected by California State Parks and the National Park Service. The canopy of these old-growth forests shelter an ecosystem found nowhere else in the world. Scientists study the redwood canopy to understand their complexity a...nd to gauge the impacts from climate change. Due to their fragility, redwood canopies within our parks are off limits to all except professionals with valid permits. Join scientists Steve Sillett and Jim Campbell-Spickler as they make their first ascent into an unexplored old-growth redwood tree. With the help of VR technology, you too can visit the incredible redwood canopy--from the comfort of your own home! Note: the featured redwood is just outside of Redwood National and State Parks. Click and drag with a mouse or your finger to navigate the 360 video. Want to keep exploring? Download the Coast Redwood Canopy app, available now through the App Store and Google Play! We’ll also be releasing new videos every Wednesday at 12pm PST and every Saturday at 10am PST on Facebook and YouTube. You can find an Audio Description for this video here: https://youtu.be/3hHlAmaU_Gk

Peer into this mist of mystery. Does the unknown and unseen tease you with terror? Does the formidable fog bring you a feeling of fear? Coastal redwoods fear not! The world’s tallest trees gain almost 50% of their water intake from fog. Fog precipitates onto tree shrub foliage- this moisture then drips to the ground as an important supply, especially during the summer drought. Rest easy on your next foggy hike because fog means tall tree hydration! #BeautifulandBizarre #redwoodnps [Coastal Redwood trees bathe in fog. Credit NPS photo.]

Witches, bats, toads, and toadstools! Halloween is just around the corner! So, today we bring you a notoriously famous mushroom, the Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria). This fungus is easily recognized by its bright red caps, which are sprinkled with coarse, oatmeal flake-like warts. These aren’t real warts, just as the bumps on a toad aren’t real warts. Like most all amanitas, this species also has a partial veil, like a hanging skirt, around the stipe (mushroom stem). The Amani...ta group contains a variety of species that can be deadly poisonous, psychotropic, or even a delicacy. This species can be all the above, but such identification or preparations are best left to the experts. It is often called the Flying Amanita, due to its ability to produce visions and vivid dreams; these symptoms may then be followed by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and an eventual coma-like sleep. The Fly Agaric is an ectomycorrhizal fungus, meaning it wraps its mycelium around the outside tips of tree roots in order to consume sugars made by the tree; in return the tree receives extra nutrient-rich water from the more expansive underground fungal network surrounding the tree. Amanita muscaria may be found worldwide. Here at Redwood National and State Parks, these fungi prefer the root systems of Sitka Spruce. While the red-capped specimens are the most common in the parks, a few other subspecies may be found, one of which has a bright yellow warty cap, and another with a white warty cap. #fungifriday Please note: Collecting fungi in the parks is prohibited in order to preserve sensitive habitat and to provide for the enjoyment of future visitors. [Image description: The bright red, warty round caps of two young fruiting Fly Agaric fungi are shown erupted from the forest floor.] [NPS Photo: S. Krause]

Introducing one of the more poisonous terrestrial park residents- the rough skinned newt. It’s brown/black rough skin contrasts with its bright orange underbelly. This flash of color warns of its toxicity. Its bumpy skin is coated with a neurotoxin, tetrodoxin (TTX). The garter snake is one of the few animals that seems to be immune to the toxin. There is no known antidote. Keep your eyes peeled for this toxic critter in grasslands, woodlands, and forests. These neat newts p...refer slow moving, quiet water. They can also be found on land away from water, under logs, and rocks. Toxins cause mild skin irritations but can cause severe symptoms if ingested- including paralysis or death. Look, be amazing, but please don’t touch this toxic titan. #BeautifulandBizarre #redwoodnps [Rough Skinned Newt found on redwood forest floor. Credit NPS photo.]

The season is changing, and these slimy specimens go to extravagant lengths to mate. Creatures so intuitive that they can return to the EXACT spot where they hatched to spawn! They are so committed to reproduction that they even change their body physiology to allow them to inhabit fresh AND salt water. This dedication is seen as they embark on a daring journey, traveling hundreds of miles upstream, against strong currents, all to mingle with other single salmon. #BeautifulandBizarre #RedwoodNPS [A female salmon swims along the rocky bottom of Redwood creek. Credit NPS photo.]

Learn more about the development of these complex canopies. The coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) of northern California once covered over 2 millions acres. Today only 4% of the original forest remains, mostly protected by California State Parks and the National Park Service. The canopy of these old-growth forests shelter an ecosystem found nowhere else in the world. Scientists study the redwood canopy to understand their complexity and to gauge the impacts from climate c...hange. Due to their fragility, redwood canopies within our parks are off limits to all except professionals with valid permits. Join scientists Steve Sillett and Jim Campbell-Spickler as they make their first ascent into an unexplored old-growth redwood tree. With the help of VR technology, you too can visit the incredible redwood canopy--from the comfort of your own home! Note: the featured redwood is just outside of Redwood National and State Parks. Click and drag with a mouse or your finger to navigate the 360 video. Want to keep exploring? Download the Coast Redwood Canopy app, available now through the App Store and Google Play! We’ll also be releasing new videos every Wednesday at 12pm PST and every Saturday at 10am PST on Facebook and YouTube. You can find an Audio Description for this video here: https://youtu.be/HuGYFEoqjtA

October is arachnid month! This is the time when most of our orb-weaving spiders reach sexual maturity and are ready to create a new generation of spiderlings. This is also the time when humans do the spider dance, arms flailing about after having run into invisible threads of spider webbing! Female orb-weavers like the Black and Yellow Argiope spider (pictured below) typically continue to maintain their orb webs during this month. Males, which are much smaller and sk...innier, leave their smaller webs in search of females. Males will travel from branch to branch or between blades of grass along singular strands of spider silk until they chance upon a female’s orb-web. This is where things get tricky. Males will make repeated attempts plucking the orb’s anchor lines in order to entrance the female. As the male inches ever so slowly towards the female, he will have a separate line of silk anchored from one of his hind legs to something away from the orb; this is his safety drop line. If the female is in the mood to mate, the union only takes a second. Once accomplished, the male will quickly bungee away from the female on his drop line. If he’s not quick enough, he may likely become the female’s next meal! After laying her eggs the female will die, as will the male at the end of the season. The next generation will hatch in spring. #WildlifeWednesday [Image description: A female Black and Yellow Argiope spider (Argiope aurantia), beautifully patterned with black and yellow markings, rests in the middle of her orb web.] [NPS Photo: S. Krause]

Where’s a good place in the parks to look at seals? The most common seal you will find along the shores of Redwood National and State Parks is the Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina). You may see them poking their heads out of the water anywhere along the parks’ coastline, especially if the fishing is good. If you see large numbers of shorebirds like cormorants and pelicans actively fishing, there’s likely harbor seals bobbing up and down among the rolling waves. Harbor Seals a...lso like to return to familiar resting places known as haul-out sites. These include rocky outcrops on or off-shore found at False Klamath Cove, Enderts Beach, or Crescent City’s Pebble Beach Drive. Sand bars near the mouths of rivers such as the Klamath or Redwood Creek (when it has broken open from the winter rains) are also popular. Try to enjoy seals at a distance, through binoculars or a zoom lens, as they are quite cautious creatures and will quickly disappear into the water if you get too close. Northern Elephant Seals (Mirounga angustirostris) are only seen occasionally, and often only along inaccessible areas of the parks’ coastline. Likewise, haul-out sites for California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) and Steller Sea Lions (Eumetopius jubatus) are equally more remote, unless of course the fishing boats are bringing in fish at Crescent City; then you may witness Zalophus barking and freeloading at the docks! #WildlifeWednesday [Image description: Three of four Harbor Seals are seen looking at the photographer, laying on the shoreline sand like tapered sausages; one of them is reddish tan, while the others are mottled gray. Waves from the interchange of Redwood Creek and the Pacific Ocean ripple in the background.] [NPS Photo: S. Krause]

Who is that ghastly ghoul peeping through the forest floor? Pale white and hidden from the sun. No photosynthesis, no chlorophyll- just some fungi friends. This cadaverous plant is ghost pipe. Instead of photosynthesis, it snatches nutrients and carbohydrates from the roots through an intermediate source- mycorrhizal fungi. Keep your eyes peeled for this mid-summer fright hiding from the light on your forest walks. #BeautifulandBizarre #RedwoodNPS [Ghost pipe huddle together on the redwood forest floor. Credit NPS Photo.]

In support of the Yurok Tribe and county COVID19 guidelines, we have temporarily closed some of the parks' view points, facilities and parking lots near the Klamath River. The locations are: High Bluffs Overlook, Alder Camp parking, Flint Ridge parking, Flint Ridge backcountry camp, and Klamath River Overlook. Detailed information is always on our website. https://www.nps.gov/redw/planyourvisit/whatsopenorclosed.htm NPS Photo. [Image description: blue sky and clouds are above a forested coastline. There are gray beaches and the calm ocean is green and blue. The coastline has rugged cliffs and bluffs.]

It’s a star eat star world! At least that’s the case when it comes to tidepool ecology. Sea stars, like the Leather Star (Dermasterias imbricata) pictured below, are the keystone predators in a tidepool. That means, like the wolves in Yellowstone, these predators help maintain an ecological balance in their habitat. No tidepool animal resident is safe when sea stars (also called asteroids) are on the prowl. Instead of muscles, they have a hydro-vascular system that pow...ers their movements. Sea stars thus never get tired but they can become overpowered by other sea stars! The Leather Star, which can span up to 12 inches with its five rays, feeds on sea urchins, sea cucumbers, hydroids, sponges, tunicates, and yes smaller sea stars! In turn, it makes up 50% of the diet of the much larger Morning Sun Star (Solaster dawsoni), which spans up to 14 inches and may have eight to thirteen rays. Who knew you could explore the cosmos in a tidepool! Stars eating stars! Or better yet, stars consuming asteroids #TidepoolTuesday [Image description: A five-rayed Leather Star, mottled red, orange and gray, clings to an algae-covered rock. Its small, circular, yellow madreporite (water intake/outtake valve) can be seen off-center.] [NPS Photo: S. Krause]

The answer for today’s Mystery Monday is Coyotebrush (Baccharis pilularis). This evergreen shrub in the sunflower family is dioecius, meaning male and female flowers appear on separate plants. The flowers shown are female; when ripe, the seeds are dispersed by the wind just like dandelions. Insects that prosper from this flower’s nectar include a variety of flies, bees, predatory wasps, skipper butterflies, and ants. #MysteryMonday [Image description: Multiple green, pear-shaped flower buds tipped with thin, white, pistillate petals are shown growing from a common base whorled with dark green leaves.] [NPS Photo: S. Krause]

For today’s mystery, we present you with a plant found throughout most of the parks’ coastal prairies. This plant may bloom as early as late summer and as late as mid-winter. Thus, this native species is an extremely important food source for pollinating insects, when most of the year’s flowers have already come and gone. What is it? (The answer will be posted tonight at 6 pm.) #MysteryMonday [Image description: Multiple green, pear-shaped flower buds tipped with thin, white, pistillate petals are shown growing from a common base whorled with dark green leaves.] [NPS Photo: S. Krause]

Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn. Ralph Waldo Emerson Good evening, world. Take a moment to stand still with us facing the edge of the continent where the Klamath River meets the Pacific Ocean. Can you hear the timeless roll of the waves? They seem to whisper, Hush . . . Hush . . . Hush . . . Wherever you are, may peace find you tonight. Find Peace in Parks. ... #FindingPeace, #FindYourPark #EncuentraTuParque. Photo: National Park Service. [Image description: In the foreground, an old wood fence weathered silver and two empty rose-toned cement picnic tables are before a wild grass-covered hill sloping far down to the sea. The long scattered clouds and mist are filtered golden by the last lights of the sun setting in the far horizon.]

Have you ever seen a mushroom release its spores? Different species of fungi release their spores in different ways. Today’s pick, the Orange Peel (Aleuria aurantia), belongs to a group known as the cup fungi. The round, orange cup-shaped fruiting body of this species may curl or flatten out with maturity, developing tiny cracks in its surface. The gentlest touch, whether it be from a single raindrop or even an exhaled breath, can trigger its release of spores. In breezy c...onditions, the tiny spores can travel great distances through the air. The Orange Peel prefers to grow in disturbed places; look for them after the first fall rains on old logging roads, skid roads or foot trails in the park. #FungiFriday Please note: Collecting fungi in the parks is prohibited in order to protect sensitive habitat and to provide for the enjoyment of future visitors. [Video description: This five second video shows a flattened Orange Peel mushroom releasing a mist of spores after the photographer exhaled a breath of air upon it.] [NPS Video: Kacey Hallahan]

This Saturday is an official "Hike and Bike Day" on the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. This event is held on the first Saturday of each winter month. Bring your skates, strollers, bikes, leashed pets and family to enjoy ten miles of paved road underneath towering redwoods - no motorized vehicles will be on the parkway. #RecreateResponsibly #findyourpark Photo: CA State Parks. [Image description: a women wears a face shield while posing on her bike. Behind her is a closed gate and people walking and riding bikes on a road lined with trees]

One of the most seen mammals in the old-growth redwood forest is Allen’s Chipmunk (Neotamias senex). Also known as the Shadow Chipmunk, this small member of the squirrel family may be found throughout the parks, except north of the Smith River’s south fork, where it likely overlaps with the range of the Siskiyou Chipmunk (Neotamias Siskiyou). Shadow chipmunks are quite omnivorous, eating a diversity of foods such as grasses, seeds, nuts, flowers, berries, mushrooms, and inse...cts. It is quite common to find Russula mushrooms with rodent teeth marks in them this time of year. Due to the milder temperatures here along the coast, this species may be seen foraging throughout parts of winter. If you spot one of these cute sciuriuds (of the squirrel family), don’t expect it to hold still for too long! They’re always on the move, usually retiring at day’s end to an arboreal nest that may be located up to 70 feet high in a tree. #WildlifeWednesday [Image description: A reddish-brown Allen’s Chipmunk with raised ears, and with subdued brown and cream stripes down its back and a gray-tipped bushy brown tail, perches on a fallen branch.] [NPS Photo: S. Krause]