A full moon arrives on April 5 with early-morning low tides over the Easter Sunday weekend. The Tlingit people of the Pacific Northwest call it the “moon of budding plants and shrubs.”
Under bouts of cold weather and rain, many wildflowers are trying to bloom, waiting for a warm spell. One shrub, the flowering currant, with its pink chandelier-like flowers, has enlivened the late-winter season. It’s blooming by the Dance Palace Community Center and along the Levee Road. This plant is favored by hummingbirds, so if you sit and watch it for a bit, you may see them diving and feeding.
California buckeye leaves are appearing. Buckeyes are unique among native trees for their fan-compound leaves: their end leaf buds are larger than their side buds. They usually flower in May and, by fall, their large shiny brown seeds will develop. Poppies are appearing and brilliant large fields of bright-yellow mustard are seen across Tomales Bay and along the Point Reyes-Petaluma Road.
In calm weather, the annual northward Pacific gray whale migration is being watched from the lighthouse. Viewing typically continues through April. There is no particular time of day that is best for viewing; patience and luck are the necessary skills for whale watching!