"Naked Corals" are showing their stuff, African Daisies blooming everywhere

Mexican Coral Trees or “naked corals” are showing their stuff this season by bearing and baring scarlet, flamelike flowers on the tips of their twisting, leafless branches. Commonly planted as park and freeway landscaping, they and other species of coral are blooming along state route 94, Interstate 5 through Oceanside, along Harbor Drive near the airport, at the San Diego Zoo, on the lawns in front of San Diego City College downtown, and on the San Diego State University campus. The bloom may continue into late spring, when the naked corals will cover themselves with eight-inch-long leaves, just in time to provide shade for the warmer months.

African Daisies or Osteospermum have over 70 species including many colors of cultivars.

Wikimedia Commons/KOLFORN

African Daisies Are Bursting Into Bloom around San Diego, especially along the freeway embankments. The name refers to a wide variety of species belonging to the genuses Arctotis, Dimorphotheca, and Osteospermum, with flowers ranging in color from yellow, orange, and white to purple. These hardy ground covers require little water except when in active growth and help to hold soil in place during heavy rains.

High tide at Kellogg Beach along San Diego Bay in Pt. Loma.

More Extreme Tides This Weekend. On Friday, March 8 there will be a high tide of 6.79 feet at 7:30 am, and a low tide of -1.57 feet at 2:19 pm. Saturday, March 9 will have a high tide of 6.86 feet at 8:16 am, and later in the day, a low tide of -1.48 feet at 2:52 pm.