Ocean Water Temperatures, of late in the 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 spring …

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) …

Tree Heights can be easily measured this week if the sun shines at midday. On or near Friday, February 18, at or very near 12 noon, the sun as seen from San Diego County stands at an altitude of 45 …

The Moon, just shy of full phase, rises dramatically into the late-afternoon eastern sky Thursday, February 17, at around 5:20 p.m. &mdash some 20 minutes before the time of sunset. The following morning, the moon is closer to true full …

The Valentine’s Day Moon this year is in waxing gibbous phase, its three-quarter-full shape dominating the southeastern sky at dusk. Consider a walk after dark with your lover in any safe and reasonably dark place. Moonlight is magic in such …