Monty Burns

A Silk Floss tree flower on a gray October evening in Point Loma.

The Silk Floss Tree, a conspicuous “autumn bloomer” here and there around San Diego, has been showing off its pinkish (or purplish) hibiscus-like flowers for at least a month now. The broad, heavy trunks of this South American import, which are studded with fat, cone-shaped spines, makes it easy to identify.

The Floss Silk tree has spikes covering the trunk to deter animals from climbing up.

Monty Burns

Tide Pools at La Jolla Cove at sunset

October’s Lowest Tides, coinciding with afternoon hours several days in a row, usher in several months of excellent tidepooling opportunities. A -0.4 foot tide occurs at 4 pm on the Tuesday, October 25. A -0.6 foot tide occurs at 4:43 pm on Wednesday, and a -0.6 foot tide occurs at 5:31 pm on Thursday. The region’s best-known places to view intertidal life include Cabrillo National Monument and various rocky stretches of coastline near La Jolla.

Black oaks are common throughout the upper elevations of the Palomar, Cuyamaca, and Laguna mountains.

sequoiatrees.com

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 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 the Cuyamaca, Laguna, and Palomar mountains.

Getting away from the lights of the city will help but the nearly full moon’s glare will hamper observations of the meteors all night long.

The Orionid Meteor Shower, one of the year’s five best annual showers, peaks on the morning of Thursday, October 21. Unfortunately, the nearly full moon’s glare will hamper observations of the meteors all night long. But despite the moon glare, and even the bright city lights, you might spot five or ten meteors per hour during the most favorable hours of 4 am to 6 am. The Orionids seem to radiate from the constellation of Orion, hence their name.