June Bugs In August? June bugs are still emerging as the summer’s warmth is finally reaching the coastal regions of the county. In San Diego, the two most common species of these beetles, which belong …

The Gold Medallion Tree (Cassia leptophylla) is one of San Diego’s most popular trees, and it is blooming in most parts of San Diego right now. The yellow flowers bloom in clusters at the tips …

More taxes, pleaseThis is in regards to your story about the gas tax vs. use tax question. ("Do EVers deserve the swerve?", Neighborhood News, July 25). Apparently, the state has come up with another goddamn …

Towering Thunderheads Have Been Seen Hovering over the wall of mountains east of San Diego recently. Afternoon rainshowers have already dampened Palomar, Cuyamaca, and Mount Laguna on several occasions, with more of the same expected …

Developing disasterAs a life-long resident of California and a San Diego native I have historical memory that the build, build, build push of years past has never brought down the cost of housing, not even …

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 natural …

Cumulonimbus Clouds, or thunderheads, are most likely to form over San Diego County’s deserts and mountains during the latter part of the summer season, beginning in late July. The clouds appear by mid-afternoon — often …

Birdwatchers Need Not Despair simply because the winter migrants are gone. Plenty of shore birds can still be found on summer evenings in the natural coastal wetland areas of San Diego County. From south to …

I knew Don BauderI’m calling regarding the death of Don Bauder (“Farewell to a professional love”, Neighborhood News, July 4, 2024) who was a financial contributing editor for you guys for a long time, and …

The Heat of Summer will most likely reach its feverish peak in inland San Diego County during July. (Coastal San Diego is different: since its weather is greatly affected by the slowly warming mass of …

2024's Second Round Of Grunion Fishing Is Open for the evenings of Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, July 5-8. Roughly between the hours of 9:30 pm and 1:30 am, following the nocturnal high tide. The …

Can’t we all just get along?Your article in the June 6 edition of the San Diego Reader entitled. (“Filipino Flex- Race and Politics in National City”, Cover Story, June 6, 2024) shows how far we …

Colorful Foliage along San Diego’s Coastline Lingers, despite the lack of rainfall and warmer, drier days. In the older, landscaped neighborhoods of Coronado, Point Loma, Pacific Beach, and La Jolla, you’ll find oleander and hibiscus …

Diet data disputedI recently read your article, (“What Gets Lost in a Road Diet”, Cover Story, May 30, 2024) in the San Diego Reader. I appreciate the effort you put into exploring the complex issue of …

Ocean Water Temperatures are Rising into the mid- or high 60s this month, perhaps to reach the low 70s in July or August. The usual early-summer cool weather along San Diego’s coastline, disappointing to many …

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, …

Kettlebell complaintI was an Alaskan river guide. I also guided in N. Carolina (Ocoee, Nantahala, Chattooga) and in Oregon (Rouge/Deschutes) I have summited Mt. Shasta and Mt. Whitney several times and have hiked around base …

Will We See The Aurora Borealis in San Diego This Year? We don’t often see the famed Northern Lights this far south, but in March 1989, the aurora borealis was visible down in Mexico, and …

Fuming over funding(“UCSD accedes to protesters’ demand for divestment”, SD on the QT, May 23, 2024) So to get rid of all the companies that fund the slaughter of millions of Palestinian people, we the …

Blue-Blossoming Jacaranda Trees are taking a paintbrush to the streets of San Diego. They’re a little late this year, but as the warm weather increases, these Brazilian imports will be putting on a dazzling show. …

The sweet scent of Mock Orange is wafting through parts of San Diego. Also known as Japanese Pittosporum or Australian Laurel. Pittosporum Tobira is an evergreen shrub that is native to parts of Eastern Asia …

Mayor Pete Wilson targeted by staffI just finished reading Tom Larson’s interesting and informative portrait of Pete Wilson (“The Pete Wilson legacy in thirty pieces”, Cover Story, May 9). Focusing on his time as mayor …

Wild Rose, A California Native, Is In Bloom in San Diego County’s foothills and mountains. In moist, lowland areas and along small watercourses, wild rose shows off small, open-faced flowers in shades of pink that …

The Annual Green-to-Golden Transition of San Diego’s wild grasslands normally takes place in late March or early April, but another year of  late and heavy precipitation has again delayed the dry-out phase. These rains also …

Thursday | 9GI Film Festival San Diego“Final Fight: When the Trauma of War Comes Home” goes deeper than any documentary to date in revealing the root causes of this tragic epidemic by profiling a diverse …

A walk on the (whole) beachA San Diego summer, with all the time in the world, brings up one challenge I’ve tried before and failed to complete: walking our entire 70-mile stretch of Pacific Ocean …

Rabbit and Rodent Populations are peaking in the canyons and hillsides of coastal San Diego County. In many neighborhoods, car headlights illuminate the rear ends of scampering cottontail rabbits, interrupted while making raids on succulent …

Land Bird Migration is in Full Swing This Month in San Diego County, with warblers and flycatchers among those most commonly seen. Warblers crawl along tree limbs and branches to dine on their favorite insects, …

Whaling Bar’s failingsA lot of people who loved the old Whaling Bar (“The Whale’s Return”, Golden Dreams, April 4, 2024) for its storied history and decor of dark booths, subdued lighting, and wonderful service will …

With More Sunshine And Warmer Temperatures Lately, sycamore, liquidambar, and other decorative deciduous trees around San Diego have responded with tender bright-green foliage. Cruise down 163 through Balboa Park to appreciate the vernal splendor of …

The joy your article brought meLiterary masterpiece! Thank you Georgeanne for writing such a moving and thought- provoking article. As a long time resident and walker of North Park and surrounding neighborhoods, I totally connected …

Wild Lilac (Ceanothus) Has Been Springing Its Way Eastward, reaching all the way to the Palomar, Cuyamaca, and Laguna mountains. This season’s staggered rains have led to hills painted blue and purple. Blooming lilac also …

Happy with HotchkissThank you to Georgeanne Hotchkiss for a beautiful essay (“Mama and Me”, Cover Story, March 21), and to the Reader for being a venue for voices like hers.Jarrett HaleyRancho PenasquitosMemories stirred by “Mama …

March Is the Proverbial Windy Month here in San Diego, as in most places. From midday to late afternoon, sun-warmed air expands and rises over the county’s interior, drawing in an influx of cool air …

Prunes are okayThanks to Ken Leighton, we now have the perfect description of traffic and how it should flow (“Unintended results of five roundabouts in Oceanside”, Neighborhood News, Feb. 26). He is complaining that five …

India Hawthorn (Rhaphiolepsis indica) is one of the most common flowering shrubs used in landscaping as hedges and dividers in San Diego. It is blooming best right now, with blossoms ranging in hue from pinkish …

Reader seeker’s lamentWe’re long-time residents in San Diego, and one of the highlights of Wednesday has always been a walk to the local market to get our copy of the Reader in order to plan our …

Ornamental Peach Trees, with radiant white and pink blossoms, are lighting up the manicured landscape in Balboa Park’s west side. These and other “stone-fruit” trees, with and without edible fruits, belong to the genus Prunus. …

School-stopping squawksGreat, fun article on birding in San Diego (“Parrots, Godwits, and Bushtits”, Cover Story, February 28). So nice to see an article that doesn’t involve guns or politics. I taught with Janis when PB …

Irregular haiku, inappropriate bioDear San Diego Reader, I often read your Events section, the Outdoors column, and I also occasionally read the Rhyme & Verse poetry of the week. This week in the (“Seventeen Haiku”, …

The Pleasantly Pungent Odor Of Sage is filling the air wherever native vegetation grows on the county’s coastal and lower-foothill slopes. Most common are the black sage, with its tight clusters of small, white flowers; the …

Old Surfer Dude recommends respectI feel I have the cred to comment on this article (“Kooks and Chaos”, Cover Story, February 8), since I have the experience, expertise, and age. What it comes down to …

Lupines, Whose Spiky, Purple (Sometimes Yellow) Flower Clusters adorn grassy areas and disturbed patches of soil, are beginning to pop up all over San Diego County. If desert rainfall continues, you’ll spot lupines along the sandy …

Thursday | 22OrianthiPlatinum-selling recording artist, Orianthi takes the stage at Belly Up to tease her upcoming album, "Rock Candy."Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist Orianthi first earned widespread notice in 2009 as Michael Jackson’s lead guitarist for …

The Frost-Nipped Legacies of the this winter’s cold spells aren’t hard to spot, especially in the inland areas where overnight lows dipped to below freezing. Look for brown lawns, half-dead-looking avocado trees, and wilted ornamental …

Dock Totals 2/4 – 2/10: 208 anglers aboard 12 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 14 calico bass, 1 halibut, 64 lobster (142 released), 38 perch, 62 …

In more bad news for 2024, Mojo Nixon has passed away. Nixon was born Neill Kirby McMillan, Jr., on August 2, 1957 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. A part of the psychobilly movement, he was …

Hope for the future?Holy crap, mere days after I wrote calling the Reader a right wing rag (for a stolen bike piece) you said “hold my beer” and published a sympathetic puff piece on Ashli …

If You’ve Seen Large Swatches of Yellow around town lately, it could be acacia longifolia. The South Eastern Australian native is a fast-growing, bushy, evergreen shrub that can grow to over twenty feet tall and …

Sorry, not sorry for Ashli and familyI know Babbitt is someone’s daughter/wife/friend, but Capitol police showed incredible restraint by not firing at will on this deluded group of thugs (“Questions Ashli Babbitt left behind”, Cover …