Here's something you might be interested in.
The tawny hues of the black oak tree are just beginning to highlight the slopes of San Diego County's higher mountains. Named for the dark coloring of its bark, especially when wet, the black oak (Quercus kelloggii) is the only deciduous oak native to the county. Associating with pines, firs, cedars, various evergreen oaks, and occasionally chaparral, the black oak lends a true autumn coloring to popular areas such as the Cuyamaca, Laguna, and Palomar mountains.
The floss silk tree, a conspicuous "autumn bloomer" here and there around San Diego has been showing off its pinkish or purplish, hibiscus-like flowers for a few weeks now. The broad, heavy trunks of this South American import, studded with fat, cone-shaped spines, makes it easy to identify.
The Orionid meteor shower, typically one of the year's five best annual showers, peaks on the evening/morning of October 20-21 this year. The last quarter moon, rising near midnight, will interfere somewhat with this year's Orionid display. For best results, look out at the entire sky (preferably facing straight up) during the hour or two before dawn, roughly 4 to 6 a.m. Despite the moon's glare, you might see 10 to 15 meteors per hour, assuming you are far away from the glow of city lights. The Orionids "radiate" from the constellation of Orion, and many leave long-lasting, glowing trails. Comet Halley is believed responsible for this shower. Every year at this time, the earth plows through a stream of icy particles presumably shed by that comet in the past.
The tawny hues of the black oak tree are just beginning to highlight the slopes of San Diego County's higher mountains. Named for the dark coloring of its bark, especially when wet, the black oak (Quercus kelloggii) is the only deciduous oak native to the county. Associating with pines, firs, cedars, various evergreen oaks, and occasionally chaparral, the black oak lends a true autumn coloring to popular areas such as the Cuyamaca, Laguna, and Palomar mountains.
The floss silk tree, a conspicuous "autumn bloomer" here and there around San Diego has been showing off its pinkish or purplish, hibiscus-like flowers for a few weeks now. The broad, heavy trunks of this South American import, studded with fat, cone-shaped spines, makes it easy to identify.
The Orionid meteor shower, typically one of the year's five best annual showers, peaks on the evening/morning of October 20-21 this year. The last quarter moon, rising near midnight, will interfere somewhat with this year's Orionid display. For best results, look out at the entire sky (preferably facing straight up) during the hour or two before dawn, roughly 4 to 6 a.m. Despite the moon's glare, you might see 10 to 15 meteors per hour, assuming you are far away from the glow of city lights. The Orionids "radiate" from the constellation of Orion, and many leave long-lasting, glowing trails. Comet Halley is believed responsible for this shower. Every year at this time, the earth plows through a stream of icy particles presumably shed by that comet in the past.