Here's something you might be interested in.
Mexican Coral Trees or "naked corals," are showing their stuff this season by bearing and baring scarlet, flame-like flowers on the tips of their twisting, leafless branches. Commonly planted as park and freeway landscaping, this and other species of coral are blooming along the 94 Freeway, Interstate 5 through Oceanside, along Harbor Drive near the airport, at the San Diego Zoo, on the lawns in front of San Diego City College downtown, and on the San Diego State University campus. The bloom may continue into late spring, when the naked corals will cover themselves with eight-inch-long leaves, just in time to provide shade for the warm months.
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 pinkish-white, urn-shaped blossoms. Large (decades-old) manzanitas can be seen around Julian and in parts of the Cuyamaca Mountains. Along the coast a similar, but less attractive manzanita thrives -- mission manzanita.
Hummingbirds are swarming over San Diego County's backyard gardens, scrub-covered coastal hillsides, and the warm Anza-Borrego Desert. Red monkey flower is a favorite source of nectar near the coast, while red-blossomed chuparosa and ocotillo normally play the same role in the desert. Keep an eye out for the male hummingbird's mating "dance," which involves soaring ascents followed by dramatic downward dives.
Venus and the Crescent Moon are in conjunction on Friday, February 27, and make a spectacular pair in the western sky as evening twilight gathers. Similar Venus-moon encounters have been taking place more-or-less monthly for several months now. This time, the separation between the two is less than 2 degrees, which is the equivalent of the width of your outstretched thumb. Check out Venus with a small telescope and you will find out that it exhibits nearly the same shape of crescent phase as the moon does. Future Venus-moon pairings in 2009 will take place in the eastern sky at dawn, starting in April.
Mexican Coral Trees or "naked corals," are showing their stuff this season by bearing and baring scarlet, flame-like flowers on the tips of their twisting, leafless branches. Commonly planted as park and freeway landscaping, this and other species of coral are blooming along the 94 Freeway, Interstate 5 through Oceanside, along Harbor Drive near the airport, at the San Diego Zoo, on the lawns in front of San Diego City College downtown, and on the San Diego State University campus. The bloom may continue into late spring, when the naked corals will cover themselves with eight-inch-long leaves, just in time to provide shade for the warm months.
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 pinkish-white, urn-shaped blossoms. Large (decades-old) manzanitas can be seen around Julian and in parts of the Cuyamaca Mountains. Along the coast a similar, but less attractive manzanita thrives -- mission manzanita.
Hummingbirds are swarming over San Diego County's backyard gardens, scrub-covered coastal hillsides, and the warm Anza-Borrego Desert. Red monkey flower is a favorite source of nectar near the coast, while red-blossomed chuparosa and ocotillo normally play the same role in the desert. Keep an eye out for the male hummingbird's mating "dance," which involves soaring ascents followed by dramatic downward dives.
Venus and the Crescent Moon are in conjunction on Friday, February 27, and make a spectacular pair in the western sky as evening twilight gathers. Similar Venus-moon encounters have been taking place more-or-less monthly for several months now. This time, the separation between the two is less than 2 degrees, which is the equivalent of the width of your outstretched thumb. Check out Venus with a small telescope and you will find out that it exhibits nearly the same shape of crescent phase as the moon does. Future Venus-moon pairings in 2009 will take place in the eastern sky at dawn, starting in April.