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Vernal Splendor
By Jerry Schad - March 9, 2010, 9:33 a.m.
The Mix of Rain and Sunshine characteristic of the last few weeks has triggered the emergence of bright green leaves on sycamore, liquidambar, and other decorative deciduous trees around San Diego. Cruise down 163 through Balboa Park to appreciate the vernal splendor of the sycamores growing in the landscaped center ...
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Desert Blooms
By Jerry Schad - March 6, 2010, 10:08 a.m.
The Anza-Borrego Desert State Park should flower best through early April, with peak blooms expected within two weeks in low-lying, warm areas like Borrego Valley, the Borrego Badlands, Coyote Canyon, and along Highway S-2 in the south end of the park. Among the many annually appearing wildflowers you'll find in ...
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Mexican Coral and Ornamental Peach Trees
By Jerry Schad - March 3, 2010, 2:33 p.m.
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 Freeway 94, Interstate 5 through Oceanside, along ...
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In Like a Lion
By Jerry Schad - March 1, 2010, 1:25 p.m.
March Is the Proverbial Windy Month here in San Diego, as in most places. From midday to late afternoon, sun-warmed air expands and rises over the county's interior, drawing in an influx of cool air from the coast to replace it. These afternoon sea breezes will continue at peak strength ...
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Low Tides, Full Moon This Weekend
By Jerry Schad - February 25, 2010, 10:44 a.m.
Very Low Tides this weekend, associated with the full moon, will open up opportunities for tidepool gazing. The four lowest tides of the coming days are: Thursday, February 25 at 1:10pm (-1.2 feet); Friday at 1:47pm (-1.5 feet); Saturday at 2:22pm (-1.5 feet); and Sunday at 2:57pm (-1.3 feet). Very ...
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Manzanitas & Hummingbirds
By Jerry Schad - February 24, 2010, 8:46 a.m.
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 ...
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Ocean Temps on the Rise
By Jerry Schad - February 22, 2010, 10:32 a.m.
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 spring and summer sunshine before the ocean's enormous mass and ...
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Ice Plant & Wild Lilac
By Jerry Schad - February 20, 2010, 1:26 p.m.
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, ice plant covers the shoreline bluffs at La Jolla, road ...
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Measure Trees with the Sun
By Jerry Schad - February 18, 2010, 4:54 p.m.
Tree Heights can be easily measured this week if the sun shines at midday. On or near February 18, at or very near 12 noon, the sun as seen from San Diego County stands at an altitude of 45 degrees above the horizon. Under those conditions, the length of a ...
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Evidence of Frost
By Jerry Schad - February 13, 2010, 11:25 a.m.
The Frost-Nipped Legacies of the past winter's cold spells might not be hard to spot in February, 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 common frost-sensitive native plant, the laurel sumac, is ...
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Venus As Evening Star
By Jerry Schad - February 10, 2010, 12:12 p.m.
The Planet Venus makes its debut this month as an "evening star," visible in the west after sundown. At first (around mid-February) the elongation angle of Venus relative to the sun will be small, and Venus will barely be visible over the west horizon during early twilight. By late spring ...
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Pears and Lupine
By Jerry Schad - February 4, 2010, 3:21 p.m.
Ornamental Pear Trees are bursting into bloom all over town. The thousands of white blossoms appear in sheets and clusters, rather like snow when viewed from a distance. Nice specimens can be seen along Lake Murray Boulevard, along Clairemont Mesa Boulevard between Highway 163 and Interstate 15, in and around ...
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Sun and Sand in February
By Jerry Schad - February 3, 2010, 9:18 a.m.
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 day. Big Ocean Swells and wild surf conditions occurring ...
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Red Planet, Beehive Cluster, Wolf Moon
By Jerry Schad - January 29, 2010, 10:42 a.m.
Mars comes to opposition with the sun on Friday, January 29, meaning that it appears opposite (180 degrees from) the sun in the sky. The "Red Planet," which looks like a reddish or rusty-colored, bright pinpoint to the naked eye, remains in the sky all night at opposition, rising at ...
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Exceptionally High and Low Tides
By Jerry Schad - January 27, 2010, 5:00 p.m.
Extreme tides are set to occur on several days during the end of January. These tides coincide with the full moon (January 29). A peak high tide of +6.5 feet occurs on Thursday, January 28 at 7:07am. Friday's high tide of +6.7 feet occurs at 7:54am. Saturday's high tide of ...
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Ceanothus and Acacias
By Jerry Schad - January 26, 2010, 10:52 p.m.
Ceanothus, or wild lilac, normally a late winter or early spring blooming native plant, should begin blossoming this month in some spots (Mission Trails Regional Park for one) around coastal and inland San Diego County. This is due to the significant rains we have had so far this winter season. ...
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Rain Means Waterfalls
By Jerry Schad - January 21, 2010, 11:18 p.m.
San Diego County's Waterfalls, already 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 Rancho State Park; the falls below the first palm grove in Borrego Palm Canyon ...
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Winter Constellations and a Waxing Crescent Moon
By Jerry Schad - January 15, 2010, 8:57 p.m.
The Glittery, Bright "Winter Constellations" of Orion, Taurus, Auriga, Gemini, Canis Major, and Canis Minor are best seen during early evening hours in January and February. The last week of January, however, won't be so good for observing these stars due to the bright glare of the moon in the ...
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Rain Likely to Occur
By Jerry Schad - January 12, 2010, 5:27 p.m.
Highest Monthly Rainfall Totals in San Diego are most likely to occur in January and February (about 1.9 inches each on average) according to weather-service statistics. If low temperatures accompany the typical Pacific storms of this period, there's a chance of snow in the mountains, including a very slim chance ...
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Latest Sunrise of the Year
By Jerry Schad - January 8, 2010, 9:39 p.m.
The latest sunrise of 2010 (on standard, not daylight time) occurs Sunday, January 10, near 6:52 a.m. for most of metropolitan San Diego. Slowly at first, then more rapidly in the weeks to come, sunrise will arrive earlier with each passing day. By March 20, the sun will be rising ...
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