Western Azalea, A Native Rhododendron, is blooming this month in scattered locations throughout the county’s higher mountains. Fond of moist forested areas, it’s often found along creeks and in shaded canyons. Like its ornamental cousins, western azalea’s fragrant white (sometimes pink- or yellow-tinted) flowers are borne in ornate clusters with five lobes. It is also deciduous, and will be without leaves for many months of the year. There is a colony of them in Palomar Mountain State Park alongside a trail linking Doane Valley and Chimney Flats. White-flowering azaleas can also be found along the Azalea Glen Trail in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park.
Elderberry, two species of which range over most of San Diego County, is in full bloom this month. The flat-topped, creamy white blossoms of this large shrub or small tree can be seen in the natural coastal canyon areas such as Tecolote Canyon and Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, as well as in the more moist areas of the foothills and mountains. The elderberry’s tiny fruits, which ripen in late summer, have traditionally been used for various drinks and preserves.
Earliest Sunrise This Year, reckoned in Daylight Saving Time, occurs Tuesday, June 11, at 5:38:47 a.m. This event occurs about a week before the longest day of the year — the summer solstice — because of factors related to the shape of the Earth’s orbit and the angle between Earth’s axis and the plane of its revolution around the sun.
Western Azalea, A Native Rhododendron, is blooming this month in scattered locations throughout the county’s higher mountains. Fond of moist forested areas, it’s often found along creeks and in shaded canyons. Like its ornamental cousins, western azalea’s fragrant white (sometimes pink- or yellow-tinted) flowers are borne in ornate clusters with five lobes. It is also deciduous, and will be without leaves for many months of the year. There is a colony of them in Palomar Mountain State Park alongside a trail linking Doane Valley and Chimney Flats. White-flowering azaleas can also be found along the Azalea Glen Trail in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park.
Elderberry, two species of which range over most of San Diego County, is in full bloom this month. The flat-topped, creamy white blossoms of this large shrub or small tree can be seen in the natural coastal canyon areas such as Tecolote Canyon and Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, as well as in the more moist areas of the foothills and mountains. The elderberry’s tiny fruits, which ripen in late summer, have traditionally been used for various drinks and preserves.
Earliest Sunrise This Year, reckoned in Daylight Saving Time, occurs Tuesday, June 11, at 5:38:47 a.m. This event occurs about a week before the longest day of the year — the summer solstice — because of factors related to the shape of the Earth’s orbit and the angle between Earth’s axis and the plane of its revolution around the sun.
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