Green and Gold Replaces Yellow and Brown, Fabled Green Flash, Wild Lilac

Green and Gold will be the colors of the coastal region’s natural landscape in early 2023. The recent rain will trigger the growth of annual grasses and weeds, with greens replacing yellows and browns. At the same time, some autumnal colors remain in the riparian areas, particularly among willows, cottonwoods, and a minority of sycamores.

The Fabled “Green Flash” at sunset or sunrise can sometimes be seen on crystal-clear days in January. At the instant the sun’s upper rim is last visible at sunset (and also at the instant when it is first seen at sunrise), a flash of emerald-green color may be observed, especially on a flat horizon. Physicists say this peculiar phenomenon is due to color-dispersion (as in a prism): the scattering of sunlight through the earth’s atmosphere. Binoculars (or a small telescope) are helpful in spotting it. For green-flash hunting at sunset, any site with a view of the ocean horizon suffices. For the sunrise green flash, try any spot overlooking the low desert (Sunrise Highway in the Laguna Mountains, for example).

Cross-Country Skiers are in for a short-lived treat late this month through February if winter storms intense enough to drop several inches to two feet of snow hit San Diego County’s higher mountains. As the clouds are clearing, you may be able to take advantage of good skiing conditions along Highway 79 through Cuyamaca Rancho State Park and along Sunrise Highway through the Laguna Mountain Recreation Area. More limited opportunities for cross-country skiing may briefly exist on Palomar Mountain. Farther north in Southern California and higher in elevation, the forested crests of the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and San Jacinto Mountains offer more dependably good snow conditions.

Ceanothus, or wild lilac, normally a late-winter or early-spring blooming native plant, can sometimes be triggered by rain and sunny winter days to bloom early around coastal and inland San Diego County. Blue- and white-flowering varieties of ceanothus are common wherever native sage-scrub and chaparral vegetation grows, from the bluffs of Torrey Pines to the edge of the Anza-Borrego Desert. Black Mountain Open Space Park is a great place to see California lilacs sprout in spring.