As we drift into spring, the meteor season begins with the earliest of the annual showers, the Lyrids. This year, they span from April 16 through April 25, peaking late the night of April 22. Fog permitting, look to the northeast for the radiant point, the star Vega in the constellation Lyra, named for the harp. The new moon rises on Sunday, April 27 with a series of very low negative tides around sunrise.
The peak moment of wildflower season is often a matter of perspective, but I always tag it to the blooming of brilliant orange California poppies. Once they are in bloom, the weather has warmed enough to encourage all the other species. Early Spanish settlers called poppies “cup of gold,” and they became the state flower in 1903. Their long carrot-like roots find water even in dry conditions. Chimney Rock and Abbotts Lagoon both offer a wide variety of other wildflower species.
Male tule elk and black-tailed deer are regrowing their antlers at this time of year. The antlers often appear smaller than their eventual, fully grown size, and they are covered with fur-like velvet. This is scraped off by rubbing against soft-barked willow and alder trees, though you may see strips of it hanging off the antlers until it finally falls off. The first calves of the year are expected by next month.