The Weasel and the Wildflower April 22, 2012

Sunday arrived with the promise of heat and a clear sky, yet quickly gave way to a shroud of fog on the Inverness Ridge.  My friend and I reconsidered our plan for a bike ride out to the lighthouse and opted instead for a few short hikes, a sampling, if you will, of the pockets of beauty that Point Reyes has to offer.

First stop: the path to the wind-swept edge of Chimney Rock, where we hoped to once again sight the migrating whales.  We didn’t, but instead were treated to a close encounter with an endearing weasel – fox red with a long and furry black-tipped tail.  His pointed ears alert and his body upright like a prairie dog, he surveyed us between rapid darts though the brush, finally confronting us face-to-face to reveal his mask of black and white before disappearing altogether.  Continuing along the path through the purples of Douglas iris, lupine, and blue-eyed grass, we approached the point to make a rare find, a tiny flower, low to the ground, with a basket of three fuzzy white petals supporting its deep purple center.  One of the rangers later helped us to identify it as the aptly named “pussy’s ear” (or for those with a Latin bent, Calochortus tolmiei).

Second on the agenda was Abbott’s Lagoon, splayed out like the two parts of a maple’s winged seedpod, where a short hike to a sandy beach unfolded two other glories.  As we edged along a little lake, we spied a juvenile night heron and later, tucked under the little bridge at the lagoon, a shy river otter.  At the beach itself, we failed to see any snowy plovers, whose breeding areas are now well-protected in the dunes.  But we were so pleased with the day’s offerings, we lingered for a while among the yellow bush lupine, cinched up our jackets, and finally headed for the warmth of home.