Ash-throated flycatcher
The Tall Locust Trees planted years ago along Julian’s narrow streets are once again brightening this backcountry (and former gold-rush) town with blossoms of white, pink, and lavender. Introduced into the West by 19th-Century emigrants, locust trees have become almost a trademark of California’s gold country, from the Mother Lode south to Julian.
San Diego’s Coastal Wildflower Bloom continues practically unabated this month owing to heavy rainfall during the past fall and winter seasons. On north-facing slopes and in shady canyon bottoms, where the sun’s drying effects have not yet taken hold, look for native red monkeyflower, blue-eyed grass, wild hyacinth, and nonnatives such as chrysanthemum and mustard. Irrigated freeway embankments, with showy African daisies, blooming iceplant, and other forms of groomed landscaping, continue to exhibit brash coloration.