Outdoors
San Diego’s Coastal Wildflower Bloom continues on north-facing slopes and in shady canyon bottoms, where the sun’s drying effects have not yet taken hold, look for native red monkeyflower, blue-eyed grass, wild hyacinth, and nonnatives …
The Silk Oak Tree, a fast-growing import from Australia, comes into short-lived glory this month. Golden flower clusters decorate the silvery-green branches, an effect that is particularly stunning when seen in contrast to the blue-blossoming …
April’s Lowest Tides, associated with the full moon, drop to as low as -0.58 feet on Monday, April 25. On Monday at 12:59 pm, the tide bottoms out at -0.58 feet. Tuesday’s lowest tide of …
Grunion Runs are predicted to occur during the late evening hours (generally after 10 pm and before 1 am), following the nocturnal high tide, on April 17 and 18. The small, silvery grunion tend to …
Snakes, encouraged by recent warm temperatures, have already emerged from burrows and rock crevices to hunt for prey throughout the county’s lower-elevation hillsides and canyons. Gopher snakes, garter snakes, king snakes, rosy boas (all harmless), …
Yuccas of two varieties are in bloom in San Diego County from now through May. Year after year, the Mojave yucca Yucca schidigera sends up a blunt flower stalk of white, waxy blossoms from the …
Vernal Equinox on Sunday, March 20, at 8:32am Pacific Daylight Time heralds the beginning of the spring season for Earth’s northern hemisphere. At the instant of vernal equinox, the sun lies in the plane of …
Pacific Daylight Time, or “daylight saving time,” starts on Saturday morning, March 13, at 2 am. No time is “saved” by advancing our clocks one hour. This sneaky trick in civil time is designed to …
Ceanothus, or wild lilac, begins its annual blooming cycle this month — at least in the warmer coastal areas. Assuming sufficient rainfall arrives, by March virtually every chaparral-covered canyon and hillside on the coastal strip …
Ornamental Peach Trees, with radiant white and pink blossoms, are lighting up the manicured landscape around Sixth Avenue and Laurel Street in Balboa Park. These and other “stone-fruit” trees, with and without edible fruits, belong …
Manzanita Shrubs are starting to bloom this month in the foothill areas of the Cleveland National Forest. The various manzanitas, characterized by smooth, reddish bark and tough, leathery leaves, bear myriads of tiny, white to …