The summer parade of meteor showers marches on, with the grandest show—the Perseids—from July 17 through Aug. 24. The showers will peak on the evening of Aug. 12 with about 60 meteors per hour. Late-night viewers should look northeast after midnight toward the constellation Perseus, named for the Greek warrior who slew monsters and rescued Andromeda.

On schedule, the warm weather is ripening berries of many species: blackberries on their prickly vines, dark reddish-purple coffeeberries on the oval-leafed shrub, and even sprays of white poison oak berries. Some poison oak shrubs are already changing color to their usual autumnal scarlets and bronze. Blooming burnt-orange South African lilies stand out among the greenery along Bear Valley Trail; in bloom also are huge, white, cauliflower-like cow parsnip.

Smacks of dead jellyfish are another typical summer appearance. The clear blobs marked with four white crescents are moon jellies washing up on beaches in Tomales Bay. This species is sensitive to surface water temperature changes and are often affected by spikes in hot weather. In general, the tentacles do not create a stinging sensation when brushed against by swimmers. The other common jelly washing up is the golden-brown lion’s mane, whose tentacles do sting; typically they are fewer in number.