Mustard turns hillsides yellow, Star Jasmine’s sweet perfume

Mustard, a Non-Native Plant More Like a Weed than a wildflower, will soon be blooming profusely on grassy slopes all along the coastline of San Diego County. An old story, probably apocryphal, tells of the padres scattering mustard seed along the El Camino Real so that the bright, yellow mustard blossoms would help them find their way in future spring seasons. More likely, the plant was introduced to western North America in the form of seeds carried in the hay used to feed livestock brought in by the early settlers.

The scent of "true Jasmine"(genus Jasminum) is strong this time of year.

Star Jasmine’s Sweet Perfume, exuded from clusters of small, white flowers, will continue to scent San Diego’s spring breezes until sometime in June. Not a true jasmine, or Jasminum, star jasmine belongs to the genus Trachelospermum. In both public and private spaces, it has been widely planted as both an ornamental ground cover and a trellised vine.

The crescent Moon is always low in the sky and around dawn or dusk, never in darkness.

The Waxing Crescent Moon Hovers High over the western sky after dark this week. There’s nothing exceptional about this...but check out what lies right below the moon. Use binoculars to scope out the slender moon and the glittery stars of the Pleiades cluster.