Outdoors
Summer Solstice, the time when the sun reaches its northernmost point in the sky, occurs this year at 7:57 am on Wednesday, June 21. The summer solstice not only marks the beginning of summer for …
The Blooming of Desert Annuals is over, but not so for the stolid desert willows and smoke trees. Rooted to the beds of dry washes throughout Anza-Borrego’s lower valleys, both plants gather enough energy this …
Agaves (a.k.a. century plants) are coming into bloom in many summer gardens this month. After a decade or more (not a century) of growth, the larger kinds of agave send up a tall, yellow-blossomed flower …
Call them crape myrtles or crepe myrtles, both names correctly describe the deciduous small trees from the Lagerstroemia genus in the loosestrife family (Lythraceae). Crape Myrtles are in bloom around San Diego this month through …
“June Gloom,” the generally dreary, overcast, late-spring weather along San Diego’s coastline, has already begun and could intensify next month. Occasionally, the low clouds will stick around for several days. This is usually triggered by …
Mule Deer by the dozens continue to roam through the 25,000 acre Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. Take an early-morning drive down Highway 79 through the park, and you’ll likely spot deer on or near the …
Wild Rose, a California native, is in bloom in San Diego County’s foothills and mountains. In moist, lowland areas and along small watercourses, wild rose shows off small, fluorescent-pink flowers. By June and July, the …
The Catalina Eddy, a meteorological condition responsible for days-long episodes of dreary, overcast weather over San Diego, is most likely to occur in May and June. This weather pattern, which intensifies our late-spring “June Gloom,” …
Blue-Blossoming Jacaranda Trees have already produced a first wave of color along the streets of San Diego. By early or mid-May, warm weather permitting, this Brazilian import could put on a dazzling show. The larger …
The Annual Green-to-Golden Transition of San Diego’s wild grasslands normally takes place in late March or early April. But this winter season’s late and heavy precipitation triggered a late growth of grasses, so the dry-out …
Bracken Ferns are rising on the higher mountains of San Diego County, their bright green, unfolding fronds (called “fiddleheads”) pushing up through the russet remains of last year’s growth. By late April or May, fully …