Entries
The Coastal Wildflower Bloom, Blue-Blossoming Jacaranda Trees, and Painted Lady Butterflies
The Coastal Wildflower Bloom, average or better in quality due to near-average winter rainfall, continues through April. One of the best spots for viewing the greatest variety of flowers is Torrey Pines State Reserve. San Onofre State Beach, just north …
Warmer Temperatures, Low Rainfall, Cottonwoods, and Transitioning Grasslands
Warmer Temperatures and increased humidity coincide with the subtle onset of San Diego's spring season. By April's end, the intermittent showers, Santa Ana winds, cold nights, and crystal-clear, sun-drenched days of winter will likely be distant memories. The nocturnal, low …
The Thin-Grinned Waxing Crescent Moon, Orchid Trees, and Citrus Blossoms
The Thin-Grinned Waxing Crescent Moon returns to the evening sky this week on Friday, March 27. Look low in the west at dusk. Subsequent days will see a thicker crescent moon higher and higher in the western sky when darkness …
Where's Venus These Days?
In late March, Venus makes the transition between "evening star" and "morning star," an event known as inferior conjunction with the sun. During this particular conjunction, Venus passes several degrees north of the sun, an occurrence that repeats every eight …
Vernal Equinox, Sage, Yucca, India Hawthorn, and the Big Dipper
Vernal Equinox on Friday, March 20, at 4:44 a.m. Pacific standard 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 Earth's equator. As a …
Warm Spells, a Windy March, African Daisies, and Ornamental Peach Trees
Winter's Intermittent Warm Spells came and went, and in doing so triggered the early emergence of bright green leaves on sycamore, liquidambar, and other decorative deciduous trees around San Diego. Cruise down Highway 163 through Balboa Park to appreciate the …
Daylight Saving Time, Anza-Borrego, Saturn, Full Moon, and the Highest and Lowest Tides
Pacific Daylight Time, or "daylight saving time," starts on Sunday morning, March 8, at 2 a.m. No time is "saved" by advancing our clocks by one hour. This sneaky trick in civil time is designed to rouse us out of …
Mexican Coral Trees, Manzanita Shrubs, Hummingbirds, Venus and the Crescent Moon
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 …
Ice Plant, Ceanothus, Low Tides, and a Planet/Moon Gathering
Ice Plant is responsible for many of the carpet-like splashes of yellow, pink, red, and purple we're beginning to see around San Diego. Popular as a ground cover for concealing and stabilizing road cuts or any other easily eroded slope, …
Ocean Temps, Lupines, Tree Heights and No Moon on Valentine's Day
Ocean Water Temperatures, of late in the high 50s Fahrenheit, are finally on the upswing this month as the daylight hours lengthen and the sun arcs higher overhead in the sky each day. It will take about five months of …
Frost-Nipped Legacies, Ornamental Pear Trees, Very Low Tides, and a Full Moon
The Frost-Nipped Legacies of the holiday season's cold spells should not be 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 plants like poinsettias. One …
Later Sunsets, Ground-Hog Day, Big Ocean Swells, Waxing Crescent Moon and Venus
The Sun Strides North in February, swinging higher across the sky each successive day. Already quite noticeable is the change in the time of sunset, currently almost a minute later per day, and sunrise, currently almost a minute earlier per …
Wild Lilacs, Acacias, and Winter Constellations
Ceanothus, or wild lilac, a late winter or early spring blooming native plant, could blossom profusely this month or next. Heavy rains and protracted periods of abundant sunshine produce the most extravagant displays. Blue- and white-flowering varities of ceanothus are …
Waterfalls, Tree Aloes, and the Evening Star
San Diego County's Waterfalls could be at their very best during the next month or two, depending on how much rainfall arrives. Three of the most accessible are: Green Valley Falls at Cuyamaca Rancho State Park; the falls below the …
Lowest Temperatures, Latest Sunrise, Fullest Moon, Lowest Tide
Recent Chilly Days and Nights only confirm that San Diego's lowest temperatures (according to more than a century of weather records) tend to occur during the month of January. January's mean temperature at Lindbergh Field is about 55 degrees Fahrenheit. …
Rainfall, Gray Whales, Venus, and the Short-Lived Quadrantid Meteor Shower
Highest Monthly Rainfall totals in San Diego are most likely to occur in January and February (nearly two inches each on average) according to weather-service statistics. If low temperatures accompany the typical Pacific storms of this period, there's a chance …
The Fabled Green Flash, Liquidambar Trees, and Jupiter-Mercury-Venus and the Moon in the Southwestern Sky
Liquidambar Trees, or sweet gums, the colorfully deciduous trees gracing front yards, parks, and campuses throughout the San Diego area, have been putting on a good show for the past month. The maplelike leaves of most varieties have turned from …
Winter Solstice, Hiking to High Places, Ripening Palm Fruit
Winter Solstice, the moment when the sun reaches its southernmost point on the celestial sphere, occurs this year at 4:04 a.m., Sunday, December 21. This event signals the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of summer …
Poinsettias, Exceptional Tides, the Moon of Longs Nights, and the Geminid Meteor Shower
Poinsettias, a favorite of backyard gardeners, are now exhibiting their scarlet, petal-like bracts, just in time for the holidays. The onset of 14-hour-long nights triggers their behavior: In San Diego this condition is met just before the date of winter …
Shorebird Watching, Earliest Sunset, Cross-Country Skiers, and Toyon
Shorebird-Watching enters its most agreeable season this month, with migrant and resident birds sharing common winter grounds. Egrets, herons, terns, and a variety of other species provide endless entertainment as they go about the business of fishing and feeding in …