Damaris Brisco
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fungallove.bsky.social
Damaris Brisco
@fungallove.bsky.social
370 followers 28 following 170 posts
All things weird & wonderful. Fungi-centric naturalist on the Redwood Coast, exploring the leaf litter thru macro lens. #WaterIsLife #BLM She/Them 🌈
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fungallove.bsky.social
Salamanders, slugs, millipedes… Our deck is a minefield of critters in the rainy season. We have to use flashlights at night to avoid them. I made some signs to remind us & our visitors. 😁 (click thru ⬇️ to see @schofield.bsky.social’s pic of a big ol’ Arboreal Salamander!)
A black plaque with the words “CAUTION SALAMANDER CROSSING” in green hangs on cedar shingles A green plaque with the words “CAUTION SLUG XING” in yellow hangs on railing for outdoor stairs
November 6, 2025 at 4:38 AM
fungallove.bsky.social
Omg look at this tiny spotted Banana Slug! 😍
November 5, 2025 at 2:46 AM
fungallove.bsky.social
One last time-lapse video, wherein Banana Slug schlorps back down below the deck. They sped up a bit after the sprinklers came on - look how their body texture changes when the water hits them! So long for now, little buddy. I hope to see you again soon! 💚
June 17, 2025 at 5:46 PM
fungallove.bsky.social
Here is a video to show you how slowly the Banana Slug glides in real time. I just love watching how the sensory tentacles on their heads move. Turn on the sound for music courtesy of a local Black-headed Grosbeak!
June 17, 2025 at 5:46 PM
fungallove.bsky.social
I think this lil Reticulate Taildropper was interested in whatever the larger Banana Slug is eating (dead slug??), but they changed their mind at the last minute. I found them enjoying the meal together about half an hour later.
June 17, 2025 at 5:46 PM
fungallove.bsky.social
Movin' & groovin'! The stuff at the end of their tail is called a mucus plug. It's an accumulation of detritus that was stuck to their body; they excrete a sheet of slime that moves backward on their body, carrying dirt & plant bits down to the tail. It keeps them clean - and gives them a lil snack!
June 17, 2025 at 5:46 PM
fungallove.bsky.social
Cat woke me up before 6:00 this morning, and as it turns out, that's a great time to do some slug-watching on our deck! So here is a Slug Appreciation Thread for you, mostly featuring this great big Banana Slug (with guest appearances by Reticulate Taildroppers!) Some time-lapse videos to start...
June 17, 2025 at 5:46 PM
fungallove.bsky.social
Lil Mama's still hanging around, even after our annual cutback for wildfire safety. She seemed to appreciate the convenience of the cut grasses and the blackberry branches left behind. She got pretty close to me for those last couple photos, and I could hear her grunting softly. Might be in labor.
A pregnant Black-tailed Deer stands on a terraced hillside that has been recently mowed. Her body is facing the camera, and she is looking towards her right, with her ears cocked. A Black-tailed Deer doe stands behind a large Douglas-fir tree on a recently-mowed hillside, looking toward the camera. Her body is facing right, and only her head, neck, and shoulders are visible; the rest of her is obscured behind the tree. A pregnant Black-tailed Deer stands on a recently-mowed hillside. She is facing to the left, and she's nibbling on the broken wild onions. A pregnant Black-tailed Deer stands on a recently-mowed hillside. To her right, a few branches of a Bigleaf Maple are visible; the branches nearest her are bare of any leaves or seed pods. Her body is facing the camera, and she's looking toward the right, downhill, with her ears cocked up.
May 12, 2025 at 1:58 AM
fungallove.bsky.social
Such a happy little family 🥰
May 9, 2025 at 1:46 AM
fungallove.bsky.social
Big Mama and the twins stopped by just now for supper! Look at those lil scamps ❤️❤️
A Black-tailed Deer doe stands on a green hillside with her head down. Uphill from her, a pair of spotted fawns stand with their ears cocked, directly facing the camera.
May 9, 2025 at 1:33 AM
fungallove.bsky.social
Lil Mama (still pregnant) stayed close to the house again today. Her morning resting spot was outside @schofield.bsky.social’s office door, and she spent the afternoon outside our front door. We have to check where she is before leaving the house now 😅
A pregnant Black-tailed Deer lies down on a wooden deck with her back up against a sliding glass door. A pregnant Black-tailed Deer lies down on a small wooden deck near a flower pot. Her head is turned toward the camera, and her ears are up.
May 9, 2025 at 1:14 AM
fungallove.bsky.social
Lil Mama - still pregnant - spent half of Monday resting up against our front door. She strolled across the deck right in front of us that evening for a sip from the birdbath & a few nibbles from the ferns. Sleeps just uphill from our back door at night. I guess this is the Deer maternity ward now?
May 8, 2025 at 12:39 AM
fungallove.bsky.social
Woke up early on Monday, and I was just in time to see Big Mama and her two brand-new little ones out the south window. She was still cleaning them.

They are like bouncy spotted puppies with hooves & I LOVE them.

I melted into a puddle and have not recovered.

Don’t send help.
A female Black-tailed deer stands behind two half-barrel planters, facing the camera, with her right ear cocked back & left facing forward. A pair of spotted fawns stands on either side of her, nursing. A female Black-tailed deer stands behind two half-barrel planters, with her head turned to her left and her tongue visible. A pair of spotted fawns stands on either side of her, nursing. A female Black-tailed deer stands behind two half-barrel planters, with her head turned to her left and her ears cocked back. A pair of spotted fawns stands on either side of her, nursing. She is cleaning the fawn on her left.
May 8, 2025 at 12:39 AM
fungallove.bsky.social
Capped off my visit 'round the Sutter Buttes with a walk along the Sacramento River in Colusa. The last photo is my favorite view of the Buttes from my whole trip. 💚
Photograph of the Sacramento River in Colusa, California. A hillside in a park rises on the left, with trees in the background. The swollen Sacramento River lies on the right. A paved road in the center runs from the mid-background to the foreground, only to be submerged in high water. Photograph of the Sacramento River in Colusa, California. The swollen river lies on the left, lined by trees. A green bank rises on the right, and there is a small gray building in the foreground. A digital sign on the building shows the river’s height in feet: 67.01. A sign to the right of the digital readout says “MONITOR STAGE: 63.0 FLOOD STAGE: 70.0” Photograph of the Sacramento River in Colusa, California. The river is high, filling most of the lower half of the photograph from the bottom left to the right. Bare trees line both side of the river. The Sutter Buttes are visible in the distance in the center below a clear blue sky. Photograph of the Sutter Buttes from Colusa, California. A flat green agricultural field lies in the foreground. Blackberry brambles and trees form a line on the right, and a tree-lined road is visible in the distance. Beyond the road are the Sutter Buttes below a clear blue sky.
February 16, 2025 at 5:43 AM
fungallove.bsky.social
More pics from my Feb 5 trip to see the Sutter Buttes. I took a side trip to the Sutter County Museum in Yuba City just to see this: a fully restored Model 12 Yuba Ball Tread Tractor, built in 1915.
If you ever find yourself in Yuba City, visit the Sutter County Museum. It is an absolute delight
Photograph of the Yuba Ball Tread Tractor Model 12 in the Sutter County History Museum, Yuba City, California. The front of the tractor is at the right. The body of the tractor is painted forest green, and the engine housing has metallic gold trim. A wide metal spoked wheel at the front of the tractor provides steering. At the rear of the tractor are two tank-style treads on either side of a metal seat for the tractor operator. View of the Yuba Ball Tread Tractor Model 12 in the Sutter County History Museum, Yuba City, California from the rear. A sign on the right in the foreground reads “Exhibits in Progress - (Nisesan, Gold Rush & Westward Expansion, Yuba-Sutter Floods) - Coming before the Museum’s 50th Anniversary on April 25, 2025!” View of the Yuba Ball Tread Tractor Model 12 in the Sutter County History Museum, Yuba City, California from the front. A silver-colored arrow is situated above the front steering wheel. The gold-trimmed engine housing is visible in the background. Photograph of the logo on the side of the Yuba Ball Tread Tractor Model 12 in the Sutter County History Museum, Yuba City, California. Background is forest green. A string of white circles in the shape of an elongated oval, like the treads on a tank, surround the logo that reads THE YUBA BALL TREAD TRACTOR, painted in yellow with white trim. Below the logo are the words MARYSVILLE, CALIF. painted in yellow with red trim.
February 16, 2025 at 5:35 AM
fungallove.bsky.social
Feather River in Yuba City was flooded well into the recreational areas.
Photograph of a flooded landscape under a clear blue sky. Bare trees rise out of the water, and two signs are visible in the distance. The top of a yellow sign reads SHARE. A brown and red sign on the right reads FEATHER RIVER PARKWAY -> ATTENTION PARK CLOSES 9:00 PM with further text submerged. A flooded plain with bare trees stretching off into the distance. A green sign on the right reads NOTICE CAMPING PROHIBITED - OVERNIGHT CAMPING IN THE RIVER BOTTOMS AREA WITHIN THE CITY LIMIT OF YUBA CITY IS PROHIBITED AND IS A MISDEMEANOR VIOLATION PER BLAH BLAH BLAH, ETC. VIOLATIONS MAY BE SUBJECT TO ARREST AND CRIMINAL PROSECUTION. PROPERTY OF POSSIBLE VALUE THAT IS LEFT IN THIS AREA MAY BE SEIZED BY THE CITY OF YUBA CITY AND STORED FOR UP TO SIX MONTHS. INSTRUCTIONS FOR RETRIEVING PERSONAL PROPERTY - A CLAIM TO THESE MATERIALS MAY BE MADE BY CALLING 530-822-4725 BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8:00AM AND 4:30PM MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, EXCEPT HOLIDAYS, AND ARRANGING FOR AN APPOINTMENT TO PICK UP THE PROPERTY WHICH WILL BE STORED BY THE CITY OF YUBA CITY. TO CLAIM PROPERTY IDENTIFICATION AND SOME MEANS TO IDENTIFY THE PROPERTY MUST BE PROVIDED.
February 15, 2025 at 5:45 AM
fungallove.bsky.social
Views of the Buttes from the East & Northeast. I tried to circumnavigate the buttes from Yuba City in the southeast, but the roads heading west on the north side of the buttes were closed due to flooding. Map apps didn't know this, so I got to explore a lot of lovely roads and make a few U-turns.
Photograph of the Sutter Buttes. Four peaks of the buttes are visible beyond a low grassy hill. A barbed wire fence in the foreground separates the viewer from a flooded field. Photograph of the Sutter Buttes from the north. The buttes lie in shadow below a cloudless blue sky. Furrowed rows, lined with stakes, stretch from the foreground along the plain to the base of the buttes. Photograph of the Sutter Buttes. The green buttes lie beyond a flooded field, with a cluster of bare trees on the right. A paved road runs diagonally across the lower right corner. Photograph of the Sutter Buttes. The buttes lie half in shadow under a cloudless blue sky. A line of bare trees - Oaks - stretch before the buttes, lining a flooded field. The grass under the Oaks is bright green. A barbed wire fence runs across the foreground.
February 15, 2025 at 5:28 AM
fungallove.bsky.social
Last week, I went to see the dawn light on the Sutter Buttes on my birthday. I wanted to see them against a flooded landscape, and I couldn't have picked a better day. This is the view from the Larry Munger Vista Point just west of Yuba City.
Photograph of the Sutter Butters (Maidu: Histum Yani/Esto Yamani, Wintun: Olonai-Tol, Nisenan: Estom Yanim) viewed from the Southeast just before sunrise. The nine-ish points of the buttes lie in shadow against a peach-to-bluish predawn sky. A line of trees and utility poles delineates a road at the base of the buttes. Flooded agricultural fields lie between the viewer and the road; two rows of Blackberry vines in the foreground line a canal. Photograph of the Sutter Butters ((Maidu: Histum Yani or Esto Yamani, Wintun: Olonai-Tol, Nisenan: Estom Yanim) viewed from the Southeast at the first moments of sunrise. The lower two-thirds buttes lie in shadow against a peach-to-bluish predawn sky, and the peaks of the buttes are faintly lit by the first rays of dawn from the right. A line of trees and utility poles delineates a road at the base of the buttes. Flooded agricultural fields lie between the viewer and the road; two rows of Blackberry vines in the foreground line a canal. Photograph of the Sutter Butters ((Maidu: Histum Yani or Esto Yamani, Wintun: Olonai-Tol, Nisenan: Estom Yanim) viewed from the Southeast at sunrise. The buttes are fully illuminated by the rising sun from the right. A line of trees and utility poles delineates a road at the base of the buttes. Flooded agricultural fields lie in shadow between the viewer and the road; two rows of Blackberry vines in the foreground, lining a canal, bear the faint light of the rising sun. Photograph of the Sutter Butters ((Maidu: Histum Yani or Esto Yamani, Wintun: Olonai-Tol, Nisenan: Estom Yanim) viewed from the Southeast just after sunrise. The buttes are fully illuminated by the rising sun from above to the right. A line of trees and utility poles delineates a road at the base of the buttes. Flooded agricultural fields lie in shadow between the viewer and the road. Two rows of Blackberry vines in the foreground, lining a canal; the tops of the vines nearest the viewer are fully illuminated by the rising sun.
February 15, 2025 at 4:11 AM
fungallove.bsky.social
...and the California Red-legged Frog (Rana draytonii,) a species listed as vulnerable. The handsome specimen here is a particularly large breeding adult. First one I'd ever seen. Love at first sight.
Top-down photograph of a large adult California Red-legged Frog (Rana draytonii) on road pavement. The frog has a reddish-brown body with blackish dots. Two distinct ridges run from behind the eyes, down the torso to the top of the back legs. Legs fade from reddish-brown to olive-brown and have wide blackish bands across them. The frog's skin has a rough, bumpy texture. To the right of the frog is a penny.
February 13, 2025 at 2:51 AM
fungallove.bsky.social
Most of the salamanders we see here are California Newts (Taricha torosa,) like this little cutie. We also find Rough-skinned Newts (T. granulosa,) Ensatinas, California Slender Salamanders, Sierra Tree Frogs...
Top-down photograph of a medium-sized California Newt (Taricha torosa) walking onto road pavement from a grassy area. The photo is illuminated from the right by a flashlight. The newt is brown, with orange on their toes and the underside of their legs, around their mouth, and above their bulbous eyes. A penny lies on the pavement on the upper-left, and there is a line of grass & other small plants along the lower side of the image.
February 13, 2025 at 2:51 AM
fungallove.bsky.social
Since 2019, Chileno Valley Newt Brigade has gathered data about the animals we encounter - numbers, age, direction of travel, live or dead. This info is being used to develop new amphibian-safe crossings - work that could help critters elsewhere, too! www.chilenovalleynewtbrigade.org/press#CVNB_A...
Laguna Lake: Landscape photograph featuring a small lake on a cloudy day. Gentle green hills, dotted with Oak trees, lie on either side of the lake. There is a green field around the lake, and a barbed-wire fence in the foreground.
February 13, 2025 at 2:51 AM
fungallove.bsky.social
So I did it - I finally joined the Chileno Valley Newt Brigade! Volunteers like me spend one evening a week during the rainy season patrolling a segment of Chileno Valley Road, helping California and Rough-skinned Newts safely cross the road to & from Laguna Lake. www.chilenovalleynewtbrigade.org
Landscape photograph looking down the length of a paved two-lane road, taken from the right side of the road. A barbed-wire fence runs along the right side of the road. A grassy green field lies behind the fence; dark shapes in the distance are cattle, and part of Laguna Lake stretches behind them. On the left side of the road is a hill covered in green trees. A rolling green hill lies in the background. In the foreground is a large sign affixed to a utility pole on the right side of the road. The sign has a white background, and it features an orange image of a newt with the text: SLOW - NEWT PATROL ON ROAD.
February 13, 2025 at 2:51 AM
fungallove.bsky.social
Graffiti on the back of the pump shed at the San Geronimo Commons.
Photo of a small blue-gray building. The reed-lined edge of a pond is visible in the foreground; in the background are green trees. The right side of the building features wheatpaste-style graffiti of a man, from head down to mid-torso, pointing directly at the viewer. The man is wearing a blue jacket and wearing a red medallion around his neck. Close-up crop of wheatpaste-style graffiti on a flat blue-gray wall. Image is made from a colorized photograph of a man, shown from the mid-torso up. He has dark, short-cropped hair with a widow's peak. His eyes are dark, and his skin is a pale, sickly yellow. He is wearing a blue double-breasted jacket with a high rolled collar over a white turtleneck. A golden sash is draped over his left shoulder, and he's wearing a fist-sized red medallion on a red-beaded cord around his neck; the medallion hangs down to his solar plexus. He is smirking, with his left eyebrow raised, and pointing his right forefinger directly at the viewer.
February 13, 2025 at 1:30 AM
fungallove.bsky.social
Fog lifted enough for us to see Sutro Tower across the Golden Gate. Such a beautiful day.
December 16, 2024 at 6:56 PM
fungallove.bsky.social
I just love Bolinas. 😊
Image of a painting on a concrete retaining wall: A green 5-pointed star, outlined in yellow, with a stenciled image of Darth Vader and text reading “ART PERMITTED ON WALL BY ORDER OF DARTH VADER.”
December 16, 2024 at 6:52 PM