The Coastal Wildflower Bloom, average or better in quality due to near-average winter rainfall, continues through April. One of the best spots for viewing the greatest variety of flowers is Torrey Pines State Reserve. San Onofre State Beach, just north of Camp Pendleton, should have acres and acres of monkey flower, with a half-dozen different shades, blooming on the coastal bluffs. In inland locates such as Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve and Mission Trails Regional Park (especially behind the Old Mission Dam), you may find California poppies, purple nightshade, pinkish owl's clover, blue-colored lupine, and scattered splashes of color due to a dozen or more other species of wildflowers. North County residents should check out the huge Daley Ranch preserve in northeast Escondido, where wildflowers dot its hillsides and grassy meadows.

Blue-Blossoming Jacaranda Trees will produce a first wave of color along the streets of San Diego sometime this month. By mid-May, warm weather permitting, this Brazilian import could put on a dazzling show. The larger jacarandas, which in full bloom are leafless, or nearly so, display myriads of delicate, trumpet-shaped blossoms -- a lavender haze as seen from afar. Jacarandas are commonly used as landscaping in parks and on most college campuses. Nice rows of jacarandas grace Ash Street downtown, Rosecrans Boulevard in Point Loma, 25th Street in Golden Hill, and Mission Village Drive above Qualcomm Stadium.

Painted Lady Butterflies may be on the wing across San Diego County this month. In response to drying desert flora, the butterflies migrate west or northwest toward the greener, more succulent vegetation near the coast. This year's not-quite-up-to-normal rainfall will likely produce a light crop of painted ladies.