The full moon rises on Saturday, April 12. The Farmer’s Almanac calls it the “pink moon,” after northern Indigenous folk traditions that observed an early pink wildflower, creeping phlox, blooming at this time. Early morning low tides accompany the full moon.
A rainy, puddly Bear Valley Trail morning hike last week revealed the dogwood abloom. This annual spring pleasure is getting harder to see through new growth along the creek, but it can be sunlit and particularly resplendent on a late afternoon. Native to the eastern United States, this dogwood was planted as part of a summer cabin garden.
Plenty of blooming continues. Small puffs of pale-yellow flowers on red elderberry shrubs are popping up along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, and wild cucumber vines with their tiny white flowers are snaking up along trails. Coast live oaks are sprouting reddish-colored new leaves. Watch out for plenty of poison oak leafing out; it looks like an abundant year for this native plant.
Winter whale watching has been very quiet, with smaller numbers seen both in the southern migration to Mexico and the return north to Alaskan waters. Viewing can be impaired by rain and winds, but there is no clear reason why fewer sightings have emerged. Large anchovy schools further south along the coast may bring in humpback whales and other species to feed.