The new moon on March 2 prompts some higher morning tides of six feet or more, with corresponding extra-low afternoon tides good for beach combing.
A sign of springlike weather: the emergence of ladybugs. Also known as ladybird beetles, they overwinter either in oak leaf litter or in large masses that can be seen around Devil’s Gulch and Muir Woods. As the air warms, they venture out to look for food, such as aphids. You may see them bustling about on these summer-like days.
Wildflowers continue blooming, as do domestic plants, and flowering fruit trees are bursting into bloom in Divide Meadow, once a country club site, and along the Levee Road. It seems like overnight, the trees pop with pale pink or white blooms that will develop into apples or cherry plums.
As we enjoy spring early, a reminder that annual harbor seal protection measures begin on March 1 with the temporary closure of Drakes Estero, Double Point and the western end of the Limantour spit; for maps and complete information, check www.nps.gov/pore. These nursery areas allow harbor seals to follow ancient rhythms, coming ashore to deliver their young each year. Hiking the north end of the Estero Trail brings you to high points above the estero to look for the colonies. The protection measures are lifted on July 1.