February’s full moon this coming Sunday corresponds to the ancient Celtic festival of Imbolc, which celebrates the reawakening of the earth and new life. In the Old Farmer’s Almanac, it is the “Snow Moon,” and a cold spell in the forecast may bring a dusting of snow to Bay Area peaks at 4,000 feet.
Meanwhile, the warm spell has spurred new life. Reddish-barked arroyo willow is developing catkins and pollen, and water-loving willows abound along the creeks. A few shade-loving milkmaids, with their tiny, four-petaled rosy-white flowers, are blooming; they are typically one of the first perennial flowers of the season. California bay trees are producing small yellow flowers that will become nuts by the fall.
Pacific gray whales are now being seen from the Point Reyes Headlands as they make their way south to the lagoons of Baja Mexico. Travel patterns are often determined by age and place in their life cycle. Pregnant females travel first, males and juveniles travel next and females with calves travel last. Pregnant females typically travel around 20 hours a day and 160 kilometers, and rarely stop to feed. The second and third groups travel at a more leisurely pace, stopping to feed opportunistically and mate.