Rafinesquia neomexicana (Desert Chicory or Plumeseed) is an annual herb in the Asteraceae family that grows in the San Diego County desert. This small and isolated cluster is somewhat unusual, the plant has weak stems and grows taller through the support of other plants. Anza Borrego Desert State Park, California; March 2024.
Today on the #PhotoBlog: five recent photos of the irresistible annual bloom of Ceanothus tomentosus (Woolly Leaf Ceanothus, sometimes also called California Lilac), which colors the hillsides blue with its beautiful little flower clusters.
For #MeerMittwoch here's a sunrise with colorful pink clouds over the ocean and the strange coastal rock formations at Windansea Beach in La Jolla, California; photographed in February 2024.
We almost didn't make it up there in time to see the sun set from a clear sky into this dense, low-hanging layer of marine stratus that extended from the coast to the mountains. This is (almost at) the summit of Cuyamaca Peak in San Diego County.
#ThrowbackThursday to September 2014 and a peaceful wander in the sand dunes, when monsoon clouds helped to keep the temperatures tolerable. A strong wind blew fine sand over the ridges. I love the subtle tones and colors of this moment.
Gray bird grasshopper (Schistocerca nitens). This one was about 8 cm long. These guys usually don't let me get this close, but it was chilly and he was sluggish.
Any of my Mastodon pals live in southern California? I'm moving that way in the next few weeks and I will probably need a real life friend or two, so maybe we can upgrade our relationship? Synth nerds to the front of the line, of course.
A state of emergency was declared in San Diego after parts of the city were left underwater due to more than a month's worth of rain in a single day.
By Jesse Ferrell
Published Jan 23, 2024
"Mudslides, evacuations and water rescues were reported across Southern #California Monday as heavy rain inundated the region. Videos showed cars underwater and floating away in parts of San Diego, one of the areas hit the hardest by the deluge. Multiple states of emergency were declared across San Diego County.
"'Never seen anything like this in San Diego,' one Mountain View resident told ABC10. In the Southcrest neighborhood, located just southeast of downtown, hundreds of families were rescued after a creek overflowed.
"A state of emergency was declared in San Diego due to the extreme rainfall. 'Our emergency responders will continue to address the impacts around the clock,' Mayor Todd Gloria said.
"Over 5 inches of rain fell northeast of downtown San Diego, which triggered the intense flooding. At the city's airport, 2.73 inches were measured, setting a record for the most rain on any January day. Monday also ranked as the fourth-wettest day on record. The historical average rainfall in San Diego for all of January is 1.98 inches.
"San Diego will have an extended break from the stormy pattern following the record-setting rainfall Monday, with dry weather in the offing for the rest of the week and into the upcoming weekend."