Grunion Open Season is happening again this week (evenings of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, July 3-6) roughly between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am, following the nocturnal high tide. The small, silvery …

Singer-guitarist Rick Froberg “passed away suddenly last night [June 30] from natural causes,” posted longtime bandmate John Reis, who also said “His art made life better.” “The only thing he loved more than art and …

Magnolia, the Southern U.S. native commonly planted as a decorative street tree in many of San Diego’s older neighborhoods, continues to bloom this month. Called the “queen of the flowering broadleaf evergreens,” its branches support …

Summer Solstice, the time when the sun reaches its northernmost point in the sky, occurs this year at 7:57 am on Wednesday, June 21. The summer solstice not only marks the beginning of summer for …

The Blooming of Desert Annuals is over, but not so for the stolid desert willows and smoke trees. Rooted to the beds of dry washes throughout Anza-Borrego’s lower valleys, both plants gather enough energy this …

Agaves (a.k.a. century plants) are coming into bloom in many summer gardens this month. After a decade or more (not a century) of growth, the larger kinds of agave send up a tall, yellow-blossomed flower …

Call them crape myrtles or crepe myrtles, both names correctly describe the deciduous small trees from the Lagerstroemia genus in the loosestrife family (Lythraceae). Crape Myrtles are in bloom around San Diego this month through …

Miranda’s malign message Danielle Thomassen’s interview in San Diego Reader of vapid divorce attorney Tim Miranda (“Divorcée talks with Antonyan Miranda, king of divorce billboards”, Cover Stories, May 3, 2023) gave him much more credence …

“June Gloom,” the generally dreary, overcast, late-spring weather along San Diego’s coastline, has already begun and could intensify next month. Occasionally, the low clouds will stick around for several days. This is usually triggered by …

Mule Deer by the dozens continue to roam through the 25,000 acre Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. Take an early-morning drive down Highway 79 through the park, and you’ll likely spot deer on or near the …

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, fluorescent-pink flowers. By June and July, the …

The bare bottom line on Nathan Fletcher Like many people, I was pretty heartbroken learning of our representative’s downfall. (“Where will the Nathan Fletcher money go?”, News Under the Radar, April 12, 2023) He unfortunately …

The Catalina Eddy, a meteorological condition responsible for days-long episodes of dreary, overcast weather over San Diego, is most likely to occur in May and June. This weather pattern, which intensifies our late-spring “June Gloom,” …

Blue-Blossoming Jacaranda Trees have already produced a first wave of color along the streets of San Diego. By early or mid-May, warm weather permitting, this Brazilian import could put on a dazzling show. The larger …

The Annual Green-to-Golden Transition of San Diego’s wild grasslands normally takes place in late March or early April. But this winter season’s late and heavy precipitation triggered a late growth of grasses, so the dry-out …

Sympathies for A Woman Scorned Nathan Fletcher, the Gift that Keeps on Giving (“Key Todd Gloria backer Gil Cabrera gets hand slapped: Big stores, big money”, News Under the Radar, April 5). Actually our sympathies …

Bracken Ferns are rising on the higher mountains of San Diego County, their bright green, unfolding fronds (called “fiddleheads”) pushing up through the russet remains of last year’s growth. By late April or May, fully …

The Sticky-Sweet Odor of citrus blossoms is wafting on the spring breezes this year, as it has in every year since the 1870s, when the county’s first commercially planted orange and lemon groves began to …

The Coastal Wildflower Bloom, a fine one on account of lots of rain and sunshine, will continue through April. One of the best spots for viewing a great variety of flowers is Torrey Pines State …

The Annual Green-to-Golden Transition of San Diego’s wild grasslands typically starts during early April — though this year, late rains and a cold winter may lengthen the process. North-facing hillsides and canyon slopes retain the …

Diagnosis: TDS Regarding the long-winded letter from Tim Taylor in the March 9 issue (“No Trump hate, just abhorrence, fear, and pity”, Letters, March 9), I never seen such a hate-filled, anti-Trump diatribe in my …

African Daisies are bursting into bloom around San Diego, especially along the freeway embankments. The name refers to a wide variety of species belonging to the genuses Arctotis, Dimorphotheca, and Osteospermum, with flowers ranging in …

The economics of intelligence I enjoyed reading “San Diego Smart” by Thomas Larson (“San Diego Smart”, Cover Story, February 9). But I do get nervous when the subject of human intelligence comes up, because it …

Quatro bad for algo? So, it’s nice that you mention local bands sometimes in “Local Five” (Local Five, February 9) — but, for example, recently “Quatro” was mentioned — but there is no indication of …

The Democrat Reader? Good thing your rag is free. It is so biased against true Americans like President Trump. During his presidency, America was strong and proud. Numerous debunked scandals against him and constant harassment …

Ceanothus, or wild lilac, has been springing into bloom for some time -- at least in the warmer coastal areas. By early March, virtually every chaparral-covered canyon and hillside on the coastal strip may exhibit …

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 …

Anti-Trump, pro-pal I’m not dropping my Trumper/MAGA friends just ‘cuz I’m Ridin’ With Biden (“Trump Trumps Love”, Cover Story, Feb 2). Politicians come and go. Friendships last forever. Trumpers come in two flavors: rich and …

Cruelty in the captions? The photograph of a “granny cottage” in Del Mar (“Affordable housing laws descend on Del Mar”, Neighborhood News, Jan 10) was captioned “Why would you ever ruin such an adorable addition …

San Diego County’s Waterfalls, swollen with runoff and snowmelt from recent storms, should be at their very best during the next month or two. Three of the most accessible are: Green Valley Falls at Cuyamaca …

What’s the real Torrey story? Regarding the dispute over protected Torrey Pines obstructing views ("Del Mar Torrey pine headed for pruning suffers big limb break," Dec 29), I would like to know whether the trees …

We are, in fact, all going to die I really enjoyed your article “Anti-Social Contagion.” It makes me happy that there are people like Deanna Polk and Amy Reichert who will stand up for all …

December NightsBalboa ParkPast EventDecember NightsFriday, December 2, 2022, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, San DiegoAge Limit: Not availableMoreJoin your fellow citizens on December 2 and 3 for the …

Should have rifled Google Your article about the Cleveland School shooting (“Ways of Escape”, Nov. 24, 2022.) is rather interesting in terms of its number-one error in the very beginning of the article where it …

Pastor Karla on Hell I’d like to comment on the Sheep and Goats interview concerning St. Mark’s Lutheran Church (Reader website, Oct. 14). In reading the church and denomination websites, I discovered that they undermine …

Schad fan finds peer Kudos to Ryan Brothers for his great article “ROAM” about his trek to Lawson Peak. (“Two hikers on the ascent to Lawson Peak and two on the way down,” Nov. 10) …

Faked it and made it This is a letter for Peter, who was in your last issue (“Homeless bootcamp at Ocean Beach,” Letters, October 26). You have to go to Goodwill places and get nice …

Lately, I’m getting the feeling that I came in at the end. —Tony Soprano, The Sopranos The Sopranos television series ended its remarkable run in 2007, right around the time when this final batch of …

Everything costs in Ocean Beach. If you want a cup of coffee you can buy a cup for $3 at OB Beans Coffee Roasters where they don’t usually play music too loud unless the drug …

These were the happy days. The salad days, as they say. —H.I. McDonnough, Raising Arizona I started working here in 1995, thanks in large part to features editor Judith Moore. She had arrived over a …

“Lifestyle and slice-of-life themes, often written in free-form styles that border on the bizarre.” In May of 1989, the Los Angeles Times published a profile of Jim Holman and his newspaper, the 17-year-old San Diego …

A half-century of San Diego stories from the ReaderIllustration by Margarita Chastikova, Getty ImagesSo much of identity is memory. There’s experience; maybe we chase it, maybe it just washes over us. But memory is what …

Walled Mexican garden, undersea succulents“The large blue-green tendrils of a chalk stick succulent shot forth, mimicking a water fountain.”Bottlecraft gives San Diego access to beers you never thought of“The large blue-green tendrils of a chalk …

Writer and friend (Reader) writer Joe Deegan was a friend. I really enjoyed our conversations over a beer at The Ould Sod. I loved his articles. I was interviewed by him once and part of …

Rock out and over I enjoyed the article by Thomas K. Arnold on the rock spots of San Diego (“San Diego glimpses: the Doors, Elvis, Grateful Dead, Kingston Trio, Beach Boys, Pearl Jam, Gary Puckett, …

Mission Bay secret parking revealed On the front page of the current Reader down on the left side on the bottom it says “Secret free parking in Mission Bay.” I have to wonder if this …

Hellhole finder I’d like to comment on your story “Time on the Line” (“The Sentri pass, crossing at Otay, the annoying seagulls,” Cover Stories, August 3).I was in Mexico one summer afternoon in 1943. My …

Negative glory Don’t you believe that if you didn’t advertise this kind of crap that there wouldn’t be so many young men taggers messing up the place (“San Diego graff artists confess,” Cover Stories, June …

Placename change Looking for the Granada Piano Bar in Hillcrest mentioned in the story (“My uncle plays the Granada piano bar in Hillcrest,” Writing Contest, April 20). Love piano bars but can’t find this one. …

Music worth saving History, geopolitics, and social sciences are my fields, but as a young boy growing up on Long Island, I was the organist of our parish and even joined the AFM in my …