The meteor season continues as the Eta Aquarids zip across the sky between April 19 and May 26. They will peak on the evening of May 6 with about 30 an hour, but viewing in the eastern sky will compete with a bright waning gibbous moon. The Farmer’s Almanac calls the May 1 full moon the “flower moon,” when many wildflowers across the country are in full bloom. It coincides with extra low tides just around sunrise.
We have many mothers to honor in this month of May, including those caring for the first tule elk calves. Gray whales continue to bring their calves north past the lighthouse, while harbor seal pups are nursing on mudflats in the estero. All these mammalian parents have abundant food sources brought by upwelling. On land, you may find greenery dotted with what look like blobs of white spit. Inside the blobs are tiny leafhopper larva that are protected from predators by the moisture.
Late wildflowers are appearing and remind us of the next turn of seasons. Masses of purple bush lupines cover the slopes above Abbotts Lagoon. But one of the best flower displays can be found in the urban environment: check out the resplendent poppies in front of the Dance Palace Community Center.