The Taurid meteor shower is the next to see this fall. It will peak on Saturday, Nov. 4 in the eastern sky, with only about 10 an hour. It will be conveniently seen by 8 p.m., radiating from the bull constellation. The same evening we will set our clocks back in the annual daylight saving ritual. Fog permitting, we will also see the planet Jupiter on its closest approach to earth.
Fuzzy caterpillars—black on the ends with a yellow or rust-brown middle and a few spiky white hairs—will develop into tiger moths. They are meandering around lupine bushes and walkways. Oak and bay trees are festooned with ripe nuts, causing a flurry of activity among woodpeckers and hungry deer. The most common oak in much of this area is the coast live oak Quercus agrifolia, with its holly-like, prickled leaves and a smooth cap and pointed acorn. California bay, Umbellularia californica, have a small round nut wrapped in a soft purple coat when ripe. Watch for the red, black and white acorn woodpeckers zipping about gathering acorns to store in granary trees. They will wait for the acorns to rot and become infested with insects, which will provide winter food.
Park roads, trails and the Bear Valley Visitor Center will be open on the Veterans Day holiday on Nov. 11, while the lighthouse will be closed.