Scheming VixenIn 19771 was living with my fiancé Rick, a Marine helicopter pilot who worked night maneuvers and slept days. I was assistant manager at a delicatessen.Rick was sweet, gentle, and a great lover. He …

Wild Oats, Foxtails, and other non-native grasses growing around San Diego have mostly turned gold, but other varieties of wild grass such as rye remain green in some areas. Yellow waves of wild mustard continue …

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 …

Blue-Blossoming Jacarandas (the City of San Diego’s official “street tree”) have already produced a first wave of color all over the region. By early or mid-May, warm weather permitting, this Brazilian import could put on …

Mexican Coral Trees, or “Naked Corals,” are showing their stuff this season by bearing flamelike flowers on the tips of their twisting, often leafless branches. Commonly planted as park and freeway landscaping, this and other …

The New Moon Arrives on Wednesday, March 18. With the moon missing from our view, this is a perfect night for galaxy-gazing. There are seasons which are better for viewing galaxies outside of our solar …

March Is the Proverbial Windy Month here in San Diego, as in most places. From midday to late afternoon, sun-warmed air expands and rises over the county’s interior, drawing in an influx of cool air …

A Worm "Blood" Moon Will Occur Early Tuesday Morning. "Blood Moon" is just another term for a total lunar eclipse. The earth's shadow passes in front of the full moon and blocks direct sunlight but …

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 …

Happy Year of the Horse! In Chinese mythology, the horse has always stood as a powerful symbol of strength, freedom, and vitality. Within the Chinese zodiac, those born under the sign of the horse inherit …

The Frost-Nipped Legacies of the past winter’s cold spells might not be hard to spot in February, especially in the inland areas where overnight lows dipped to below freezing. Look for brown lawns, half-dead-looking avocado …

Tuesday is Imbolc or Saint Brigid’s Day, one of the four traditional “cross-quarter” days midway between the solstices and the equinoxes. More or less. In the many centuries after this tradition took hold in the …

Recent Chilly Days and Nights only confirm that San Diego’s lowest temperatures (according to more than a century of weather records) tend to occur during the month of January. January’s mean temperature at Lindbergh Field …

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 …

Green and Gold Will Be The Colors of the coastal region’s natural landscape in early 2026. The recent rain will trigger the growth of annual grasses and weeds, with greens replacing yellows and browns. At …

Ripening Palm Fruit, Hanging In Great Clusters on California’s native fan palms (Washingtonia filifera), can be seen (and tasted) this month. The black, pea-sized fruit consists of a deliciously sweet but almost paper-thin skin surrounding …

Toyon, or “Christmas-berry,” one of the more distinctive shrubs of Southern California’s native chaparral plant community, is now flaunting clusters of red berries. Here in coastal San Diego, toyon can be found wherever large patches …

Gray Whale Migration Off San Diego County’s Coast peaks from now until February. The best view spots from land are high points close to the surf. Aside from the whale watching overlook at Cabrillo National …

With Only About 10 Hours Of Daylight, San Diego must endure its darkest and gloomiest nights of the year during this week and next. After rising, the sun struggles to an altitude of only 34 …

Liquidambar Trees, Or Sweet Gums, the colorfully deciduous trees gracing front yards, parks, and campuses throughout the San Diego area, have been putting on a good show for the past month. The maplelike leaves of …

Monarch Butterflies Arrive Along The California Coast this month, migrating from their summer homes in the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains. Some 25 of their 260 wintering sites on the West Coast lie within …

“Rainbow Season” Arrives With The First Rains Of Late Fall. Scattered showers are best for rainbow watching: sunlight refracting and reflecting through the raindrops causes two bows to appear — an intense circular arc at 42˚ …

The Floss Silk 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 trunk of …

The Tawny Hues Of The Black Oak Tree's Foliage 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 …

Bat populations Increase In Coastal Areas of San Diego County during the fall and winter due to migration. Not only are there bats that are migrating to and through the county coastal areas on north-south …

It's Orb Weaver Spider Season, in case you haven’t already noticed. But if you’re over six feet tall and enjoy evening walks, you’ve probably “faced” a few webs in recent weeks. Orb Weavers come out evenings and …

Chinese Flame Trees Are Starting To Display colorful clusters of orange, reddish, or salmon-pink seed pods. Good specimens line the south end of Balboa Drive in Balboa Park, and Lake Murray Boulevard through San Diego’s …

Recent Thundershowers, Having Blessed most of San Diego County with welcome (if spotty) precipitation of late, have triggered a minor growth spurt among certain kinds of vegetation. In the desert, for example, the spidery ocotillo …

Fall Officially Begins at 11:19 am local time on Monday, September 22. It's not just the day that marks the beginning of PST (Pumpkin Spice Time), but also a good excuse to throw an equinox …

The Time of Sunset Changes most rapidly at this time of the year. This is mainly because the sun is quickly swinging south along the ecliptic (its apparent path through the background stars). From San …

“Locals Summer” Begins Now. At last: the span of warm weather after Labor Day, when the kids are back in school, the days are still long, and the tourists are gone (for the most part). …

Towering Thunderheads Have Been Seen Hovering Over The Deserts and mountains of San Diego this past week. As monsoonal moisture moves through the county, afternoon rain showers have already dampened parts of Agua Caliente, Descanso, …

The Gold Medallion Tree (Cassia leptophylla) is one of San Diego’s most popular trees, and it has been blooming all around town for the past few weeks. The yellow flowers bloom in clusters at the …

Shore Birds Migrating Southward are beginning to arrive in San Diego County. Through fall and winter, various ducks, sandpipers, and plovers will be spotted in increased numbers in the county’s coastal wetlands. Best bird-watching spots …

San Diego’s Warmest Weather, on average, should occur in August through early September, according to statistics compiled from several decades of measurements taken near the San Diego International Airport. In an average year, coastal residents …

Three Hummingbird Species Are San Diego Residents and can be spotted regularly: Anna’s, Black-chinned, and Costa’s hummingbird. Costa’s Hummingbirds arrive at the Anza–Borrego Desert in December and are abundant in spring. Feeding on nectar from …

Cumulonimbus Clouds, Or Thunderheads, Are Most Likely To Form over San Diego County’s deserts and mountains during the latter part of the summer season, beginning around late July. The clouds appear by mid-afternoon — often …

Birdwatchers Need Not Despair just because the winter migrants are gone: plenty of shore birds can still be found on summer evenings in the natural coastal wetland areas of San Diego County. From south to …

As Our Weather Warms Up And Our Outdoor Activities Increase, so will our number of mosquito bites. What's to be done? The old standbys of wearing loose-fitting long-sleeved shirts and pants and applying insect repellants …

You Can Still Catch Jones' Bushmallow <em>(Malacothamnus jonesii)</em> showing off its pale pink flowers in some local coastal communities. Endemic to California, Jones' Bushmallow is common in coastal chaparral and woodland from Monterey to Santa Barbara, …

Magnolia, The Southern U.S. Native commonly planted as a decorative street tree in many of San Diego’s older neighborhoods, continues to bloom this month. Called the “queen of the flowering broadleaf evergreens,” its branches support …

Malva Rosa (Malva Assurgentiflora) Is An Evergreen Mallow endemic to Southern California. Often called "Island Mallow," since it is native only to the Channel Islands, but it can be found in coastal mainland California as …

The Blooming Of Desert Annuals Is Over, but not that of the region's stolid desert willows and smoke trees. Rooted in the beds of dry washes throughout Anza-Borrego’s lower valleys, both plants gather enough energy …

The Chirping Of Crickets Tells Us The Warmer Weather of summer is on its way, hopefully sooner than later. Their plaintive pleadings for mates are heard wherever bits of semi-natural scenery cut across the urban tapestry …

Jacaranda Trees Started Blooming inland a couple of weeks ago, but those planted in coastal San Diego began showing their bluish-purple color just this past week. That's not unusual, as the blooms typically are triggered …

Oleander, a consistent spring/summer bloomer that is widely planted in front and backyards throughout the county, is putting on a fine show in the medians of certain area thoroughfares and freeways, especially Interstate 5 in …

Wild Hyacinths and Mariposa Lilies have popped out on San Diego’s hillsides. Both flowers arise from underground bulbs, and were considered delicacies by the California Indians.A cluster of blooming chamise among the chaparral at Harris …

As the fragrance of orange blossoms stops its welcome wafting on the San Diego breeze, it is being replaced by the sweet scent of Mock Orange, also known as Japanese Pittosporum or Australian Laurel. Mock …

If you happened to glance up to the sky last night, you would have noticed that the Moon was missing. That’s because the New Moon has arrived. Traditionally, that means it's a good time to …

Wild Lilac (Ceanothus) has been springing its way eastward, reaching all the way to the Palomar, Cuyamaca, and Laguna mountains. This season’s late and staggered rains have led to hills painted blue and purple. Blooming …