Lake loreYour article on Clark Lake was interesting (“Hilary filled Clark Dry Lake 7-10 inches in August”, Neighborhood News, Oct. 3), but the writer is misinformed regarding the connection to Ancient Lake Cahuilla.The high-water mark …
The Tawny Hues Of The Black Oak Tree 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 oak …
Shining a light on the lighthouseI’ve really enjoyed the “Best Of” (“San Diego Reader Best Of 2023”, Cover Story, Oct. 4) editions from year to year and it’s my guess that you get a lot …
Make Sure To Catch The Annular Solar Eclipse On October 14. No, annular does not mean “yearly;” it’s taken from the Latin word anulus, meaning “little ring.” In geometry, the annulus is the space between …
Flower feelsThere’s a magnetic pull to flowers that elevates your mood.Stone rolls onStone: not just beer any more — but still very much beer.Pandemic problems, produce solutionsA tightly packed cubic foot of garden goodness, delivered …
Orb Weaver Spiders Are Everywhere! Late summer rains have increased the insect population, which means well-fed spiders, and well-fed spiders have the energy to create more spiders. Right now, that means a lot of Orb …
Explain the giftSo, Mister Cate landed a plumb position on the board of Voice of San Diego. (“Chris Cate – magnet for political fines,” Under the Radar, September 21, 2023) Maybe the great Cate ought …
Recent Rains Have Left Lots Of Standing Water Behind, and it is in these pools that the “ankle biter” mosquito spawns. The first Aedes Aegypti mosquito was seen in San Diego in 2014; they are …
“No bananas” missing a bunch (of words)Please note that the printed edition of the San Diego Reader for this week (“No bananas”, Cover Story, September 14) had a duplication on pages 6 and 12. The …
Spider Webs, Decorated With Countless Tiny Dew Droplets, are a beautiful sight on foggy autumn mornings. Look for them in San Diego’s wild canyons and park areas, or in your own back yard.The Recent Weather …
Restaurant noiseOn the topic of "aural invasions"(“How will the Padres fix Gallagher Square?”, Cover Story, August 23): One thing that bothers my wife (German) and I (expatriate Californian) when we visit the U.S. lately is …
The Time of Sunset changes most rapidly this time of the year. This is mainly because the sun is swinging rapidly south along the ecliptic (its apparent path through the background stars). From the latitude …
Chaparral, The Tangled Assortment Of Low-Growing, drought-resistant, native shrubs covering most of San Diego County’s lower mountain slopes, has managed to remain fairly attractive this summer. Unlike many of the scrubby natives near the coast, …
Blowers gonna blowLeaf blowers banned in '24? (“Noise is a necessary obscenity”, Cover Story, August 24) Not a chance my friend; this is gonna be another example of a law on the books that will …
It’s open grunion season for the last time this year on Wednesday-Saturday, August 16-19. Roughly between the hours of 10pm and 1am, just after the nocturnal highest tide, the small, silvery grunion tend to spawn …
Doesn’t like SpikeI don’t know what’s more bloated — Spike Steffenhagen’s bladder or his ego. Reading his yappy drivel (“San Diegans split on public access to bathrooms”, Cover Story, July 26), I imagine some dime-a-dozen …
San Diego’s Warmest Weather, on average, should be occurring right now, according to statistics compiled from several decades of measurements taken near the San Diego International Airport. In an average year, coastal residents enjoy an …
Pee problem’s simple solutionLike some of the people mentioned in (“No restrooms for the weary”, Cover Story, July 27, 2023), I am someone who gets quite angry when told by a business that there are …
Birdwatchers need not despair now that the winter migrants are gone. Plenty of shore birds can be found on summer evenings in the natural coastal wetland areas of San Diego County. From south to north, …
Orioles, the bright yellow or yellow- orange-and-black birds seen flitting among the palm trees, are summer residents of San Diego County’s coastal areas. A century ago, they preferred to nest in sycamore trees, which were …
Alas for the bass The article by Daniel Powell (“Half Day South”, Cover Story, July 13, 2023) included a picture of a 75 lb. black sea bass (possibly too young to reproduce) that he killed …
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 …
Colorful Foliage along San Diego’s coastline lingers, despite the lack of rainfall and warmer, drier days. In the older, landscaped neighborhoods of Coronado, Point Loma, Pacific Beach, and La Jolla, you’ll find oleander and hibiscus …
Did Ed Bedford drop his fork? Hey, I noticed Ed hasn’t written anything for Tin Fork in a while. I’ve been reading it since I was a teenager and it’s become somewhat of a comfort …
Grunion Open Season is happening again this week (evenings of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, July 3-6) roughly between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am, following the nocturnal high tide. The small, silvery …
Singer-guitarist Rick Froberg “passed away suddenly last night [June 30] from natural causes,” posted longtime bandmate John Reis, who also said “His art made life better.” “The only thing he loved more than art and …
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 …
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 …
Miranda’s malign message Danielle Thomassen’s interview in San Diego Reader of vapid divorce attorney Tim Miranda (“Divorcée talks with Antonyan Miranda, king of divorce billboards”, Cover Stories, May 3, 2023) gave him much more credence …
“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 bare bottom line on Nathan Fletcher Like many people, I was pretty heartbroken learning of our representative’s downfall. (“Where will the Nathan Fletcher money go?”, News Under the Radar, April 12, 2023) He unfortunately …
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 …
Sympathies for A Woman Scorned Nathan Fletcher, the Gift that Keeps on Giving (“Key Todd Gloria backer Gil Cabrera gets hand slapped: Big stores, big money”, News Under the Radar, April 5). Actually our sympathies …
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 …
The Sticky-Sweet Odor of citrus blossoms is wafting on the spring breezes this year, as it has in every year since the 1870s, when the county’s first commercially planted orange and lemon groves began to …
The Coastal Wildflower Bloom, a fine one on account of lots of rain and sunshine, will continue through April. One of the best spots for viewing a great variety of flowers is Torrey Pines State …
The Annual Green-to-Golden Transition of San Diego’s wild grasslands typically starts during early April — though this year, late rains and a cold winter may lengthen the process. North-facing hillsides and canyon slopes retain the …
Diagnosis: TDS Regarding the long-winded letter from Tim Taylor in the March 9 issue (“No Trump hate, just abhorrence, fear, and pity”, Letters, March 9), I never seen such a hate-filled, anti-Trump diatribe in my …
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 …
The economics of intelligence I enjoyed reading “San Diego Smart” by Thomas Larson (“San Diego Smart”, Cover Story, February 9). But I do get nervous when the subject of human intelligence comes up, because it …
Quatro bad for algo? So, it’s nice that you mention local bands sometimes in “Local Five” (Local Five, February 9) — but, for example, recently “Quatro” was mentioned — but there is no indication of …
The Democrat Reader? Good thing your rag is free. It is so biased against true Americans like President Trump. During his presidency, America was strong and proud. Numerous debunked scandals against him and constant harassment …
Ceanothus, or wild lilac, has been springing into bloom for some time -- at least in the warmer coastal areas. By early March, virtually every chaparral-covered canyon and hillside on the coastal strip may exhibit …