The full moon rises on Thursday, May 23 with morning minus tides. This moon is called the Hare’s moon in European traditions in which the hare symbolizes rebirth and regeneration after snows melt and the growing season begins.
The first shades of summer browns are touching the grasses. Rattlesnake grass, with its distinctive seed pods reminiscent of a rattler’s tail, are among the first to turn golden brown. Later-blooming wildflowers such as lupines are out, and tall grasses overshadow poppies and deep-purple sky lupines in Bear Valley pastures.
The thriving local population of freshwater otters is always a delight to watch wherever it turns up. Recently, I watched one river otter diving in the murky water below the estero bridge. It was easy to track from the sparkling air bubbles on the water’s surface as it hunted and ate a small bat ray.
As the ground warms, snakes are beginning to appear from the underground pits where they winter. The most common are the brown and black diamond-patterned gopher snakes meandering across trails.
Memorial Day marks the traditional start of the summer season. Seashore roads and trails will be open for the holiday, as will the Bear Valley and Lighthouse Visitor Centers.