And summer is upon us, as the solstice arrives in the Northern Hemisphere on Thursday, June 20. This is the longest day of the year, with the earth at its maximum tilt toward the sun. The full moon rises just a day later. The Algonquian people of the New England area call it the “strawberry moon,” as wild strawberries begin to ripen now.
A very happy Father’s Day to the snowy plover dads who are busily watching over their hatchlings. In this species, the female leaves as the eggs hatch and then attempts to start a second and possibly a third nest—another of nature’s strategies to insure many offspring survive in a tough environment. Snowy plovers lay their eggs directly onto the beach, where they are well camouflaged, and they feed themselves by scurrying with their mouths open through clouds of kelp flies to snatch food. The park has some temporary protection measures on the Great Beach and the western tip of Limantour Beach; full information at nps.gov/pore.
New splashes of color, especially along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, are the apricot-flowered shrubs of sticky monkeyflowers. Their stems are indeed sticky with resin that helps deter predator insects from chowing down on them.
The Bear Valley Visitor Center and park roads and trails will be open on the Juneteenth federal holiday of Thursday, June 19.