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Have you spotted our state flower in bloom anywhere?

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by Ms. Hodgkinson

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What kind did Ms. Hodgkinson see?

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Taken by Ms.Hodgkinson.

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Learn about the phases of the moon and see this month's moon phases.

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This month’s moon phases and calculator for any day since 1951 | StarDate Online

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Why does the Moon have phases?At the new Moon phase, the Moon is so close to the Sun in the sky that none of the side facing Earth is illuminated (position 1 in illustration). In other words, the Moon is between Earth and Sun. At first quarter, the half-lit Moon is highest in the sky at sunset, then…

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This website is another great resource for learning about weather.

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There are three main cloud types.

Cumulus clouds are the puffy clouds that look like puffs of cotton. Cumulus clouds that do not get very tall are indicators of fair weather. If they do grow tall, they can turn into thunderstorms. The bottom of cumulus clouds are fairly close to the ground.

Click on the image to view the large version.

Stratus clouds look like flat sheets of clouds. These clouds can mean an overcast day or steady rain. They may stay in one place for several days.

Click on the image to view the large version.

Cirrus clouds are high feathery clouds. They are up so high they are actually made of ice particles. They are indicators of fair weather when they are scattered in a clear blue sky.

Click on the image to view the large version.

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There are three main cloud types. Cumulus clouds are the puffy clouds that look like puffs of cotton. Cumulus clouds that do not get very tall are indicators of fair weather. If they do grow tall, they can turn into thunderstorms. The bottom of cumulus clouds are fairly close to the ground.

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I took this because I liked how this mushroom was modeling physical/social distancing from the others.

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Here's another resource for identifying CA birds.

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Photo: Bill Dix/Audubon Photography Awards

Credits: All illustrations © David Allen Sibley. All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman © 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Bird call audio © Lang Elliott & Associates. Photography sourced in part from VIREO, the worldwide bird photography collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

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Photo: Bill Dix/Audubon Photography Awards Credits: All illustrations © David Allen Sibley. All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman © 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Bird call audio © Lang Elliott & Associates.

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Tide Predictions - NOAA Tides & Currents

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provides measured tide prediction data in chart and table

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Black-tailed Deer - Odocoileus hemionus (Mount Diablo State Park)

Common Goldeneye - Bucephala clangula (Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline)

Ring-necked Pheasant - Phasianus colchicus (Palo Alto Baylands)

Mylitta Crescent - Phyciodes mylitta (Mount Diablo State Park)

We are fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on your point of view), to have a number of species which are rare and threatened with extinction. Some of them are holding their own in smaller numbers while others are declining in the face of many threats like habitat loss and pollution. ...more

The Bay area is home to a variety of mammals ranging from common ones like the California Ground Squirrel to rare ones like the San Joaquin Kit Fox. It includes land mammals like the Black-tailed Deer, marine mammals like the Harbor Seal and flying ones like bats. There are over 50 species. ...more

Marine Mammals have their own page. ...more

The bird life found here includes varieties and numbers that are astounding. The excellent wetland habitat provided by the bay itself supports a wealth of waterfowl. Over a 100 species of birds can easily be found here and dedicated birders have seen over 250. ...more

Reptiles of the area include a variety of snakes, lizards and the Western Pond Turtle. This includes rare and endangered species like the Alameda Striped Racer (Alameda Whipnake). ...more

Amphibian variety found here includes frogs, toads, and salamanders. ...more

Salamanders (Caudata) have their own page. ...more

Fish variety found here includes sharks, rays, other oceanic fish, salmon, and other freshwater fish. ...more

A fascinating variety of insects including beetles, bees, wasps, ants and grasshoppers. Butterflies and dragonflies get their own pages. ...more

Butterflies are the stars of the insect world and over a 150 species of Butteflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) can be found here. There is much less information available about Moths. ...butterflies ...moths

Dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) are fascinating insects and about 38 species can be found here. ...more

There is not a lot of information available about local spiders. Spiders are not insects, they are arachnids but come under the general moniker "bugs". ...more

It is not well known that several species of scorpions are found in the Bay area. Scorpions are not insects, they are arachnids but come under the general moniker "bugs". ...more

Most of the information on the web about crabs seems to be related to their being a food item. ...more

There are several interesting species which do not fit into any of the more familiar and popular groups. These are collected in a page of their own. They are all invertebrates. ...more

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Wildlife Species of San Francisco Bay Area

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Black-tailed Deer - Odocoileus hemionus (Mount Diablo State Park) Common Goldeneye - Bucephala clangula (Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline) Ring-necked Pheasant - Phasianus colchicus (Palo Alto Baylands) Mylitta Crescent - Phyciodes mylitta (Mount Diablo State Park) We are fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on your point of view), to have a number of species which are rare and threatened with extinction.

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A collection of commonly encountered spiders in the Bay Area, assembled by Dr. Stephen Lew. Note that to the untrained eye many spiders look similar - having a spider in hand will be much easier to identify than a fuzzy cell phone photo and trying to remember what it looked like running away. Spiders also are accused of biting people (or worse), but very rarely has this ever been witnessed.
Other web resources:
UC IPM pest management guide to spiders
Common garden spiders video
How to identify and misidentify a brown recluse spider
SpiderBytes blog
Spiders.us

Aphonopelma spp. (Theraphosidae) - "Tarantula"

All of California's native tarantulas are in the genus Aphonopelma. They often are found in pool filters. The females live in burrows and are occasionally dug up in gardens. Males are often seen wandering in search of females in the fall. [Left: Aphonopelma sp. (photo: Robyn Waayers), Right: Aphonopelma sp. (photo: Will Chatfield-Taylor)]
Calisoga longitarsus (Nemesiidae) - "Calisoga spider," "False tarantula."

Dysdera crocata (Dysderidae) - "Sow-bug killer"
"I can't believe it's not a tarantula!" Often mistaken for a tarantula, Calisoga is smaller and unable to climb smooth surfaces. Very frequently encountered in the Oakland hills. There is considerable variation in color and form. The similar Calisoga thevenetti is less frequently seen. As with tarantulas, the spiders are usually safely hidden in their burrows, and wandering males are the most likely to be encountered. [photos: Stephen Lew]
Pholcus phalangioides & Holocnemus pluchei (Pholcidae) - "cellar spider"
A mediterranean invasive, this spider is usually found under wood or bark. [photo: Peter J. DeVries]
Latrodectus herperus (Theridiidae) - "black widow"

The common synanthropic cellar spiders in California are European invasives, native pholcids are much smaller. Sometimes confused with "daddy long-legs", which are not spiders, but rather Opiliones ("harvestment"). Pholcus can be distinguished from Holocnemus ("marbled cell spider) by the grey/brown concolorous abdomen. Their webs are irregular tangles. When disturbed the spiders often gyrate in their webs. [left: Pholcus (photo: Jerome Rovner), right: Holocnemus (photo: I.R. Lindsey)]

This is the only spider that you are likely to encounter in California whose venom is medically significant. The red hourglass may be yellow or orange, and may not actually be shaped like an hourglass. Males and immature females are not solid black, and have attractive marble-like patterns on their abdomens. Makes a typical theridiid tangle web. [photo: Bryan Reynolds]

Steatoda grossa (Theridiidae) - "false black widow", "European house spider"
Achearanea tepediorum (Theridiidae) - "American house spider"

Another European invasive, this spider seems to be displacing our native black widows in urban areas. This spider is roughly the same size and shape as a black widow, but is brown with a faint purple sheen. Makes a typical theridiid tangle web. [photo: Cheryl Moorehead]
Araneus diadematus (Araneidae) - "cross orbweaver", "European garden spider"

A common invasive, believed to be from South America. Makes a typical theridiid tangle web. [photo: Tom Adams]
Cyclosa conica (Araneidae) - "trashline orbweaver"

Another European invasive, this spider can become quite imposing in size and density in the late fall. Makes a large verticle orb web. [photo: Diogo Verissomo]
Argiope spp. (Araneidae) - "silver garden spider", "yellow garden spider", "banded garden spider"

This orbweaver decorates its vertical orb web with a line of debris, in which are hidden the spider and egg sacs. [photo: Stephen Lew]
Zygiella x-notata (Araneidae) - "missing sector orb weaver"

Common in gardens, makes an orb web with conspicuous, shiny, radiating "stabilimenta". [left: silver, Argiope argentata (photo: Sean McCann), middle: yellow, Argiope aurantia (photo: Jo-Ann Ordano), right: banded, Argiope trifasciata (photo: Bruce Marlin)]
Neriene digna (Linyphiidae) - "money spider"

Another common invasive, this spider makes a vertical orb web with two sectors missing, looking like a pizza with a single slice missing. [photo: Ian Pembroke]
Agelenopsis spp. (Agelenidae) - "grass spiders"

There are lots of linyphiids, and the taxonomy is a real mess. Linyphiid webs are usually flat sheets under which the spider hangs upside-down. Neriene digna (photo of courting pair, male on left) is particularly common in the Bay Area in the spring. [photo: Stephen Lew]
Pardosa spp. (Lycosidae) - "wolf spiders"

Grass spider webs are ubiquitous on evergreen shrubs and tall grass. The dense webs form a sheet that narrows to a tube or funnel where the spider hides awaiting prey on its web. Their cousins ( Tegenaria spp., Agelenidae), including the domestic house spider and hobo spider, are more common indoors in some parts of the western states. The light stripe on the carapace of the grass spiders can be confused with some wolf spiders (Lycosidae). However, wolf spiders do not build webs to capture prey. [Photos: Ray A. Akey (left), Marian Cronen (right)]

Wolf spiders are difficult to identify even to genus without a microscope, but most found around homes turn out to be in the genus Pardosa. Females are often seen carrying their egg sacs on their spinnerets, or carrying spiderlings on their backs. Wolf spiders do not make a web except for the infrequently seen Sossipus which makes a sheet web. [Photos: Lynette Schimming (left), Joyce Gross (right)]

Badumnas longinua (Desidae) - "black house spider"
Peucetia viridans (Oxyopidae) - "green lynx spider"

Zoropsis spinimana (Zoropsidae) - "zoropsids"
This invasive spider is native to Australia and New Zealand. The web is a mesh, often with a distinct lattice pattern, commonly seen on fence posts, street signs, and side-view mirrors. [photo: Stephen Lew]

Common in gardens. Often seen guarding egg sacs. Less frequently seen is P. longipalpis. lynx spiders do not make webs. [photo: Tom Murray]
Cheiracanthium spp. (Eutichuridae) "yellow sac spider"

A recently arrived mediterranean invasive, now found in the Bay Area. For more information, read the UC IPM information page for Zoropsis spinimana. [left: female (photo: Anca Mosoiu), right: male (Omeuceu)]
Anachemnis spp. and Titiotus spp. (Tengellidae) - "tengellids"

Misumena vaita (Thomisidae) - "crab spider"
Cheiracanthium inclusum (pictured here) is common in agricultural settings, and C. mildei is common in homes. They are annecdotally associated with mildly symptomatic envenomations, but there are no studies or data supporting this. Yellow sac spiders do not make a web, but may make a conspicuous molting chamber. [photos: Jim Berrian]
Olios spp. (Sparassidae) - "sparassids"
Superficially, tengellids are sometimes confused with brown recluse (which do not occur in California), but lack the violin-shape pattern on the carapace, and have eight eyes rather than six. Titiotus californicus is the most common species of this family in the Bay Area. [photo: Martin Putnam]

Ranging in color from white to yellow, Misumena species are often found on or under flowers where they wait for their prey. Rather than make webs, these spiders are sit-and-wait predators. [photo: Stephen Lew]
Phidippus spp. (Salticidae) - "jumping spiders"

[photos: Glenn & Martha Vargas (left), I.R. Lindsey (right)]

There are many jumping spiders around the home and garden, but of the common ones Phidippus are the most conspicuous. Jumping spiders are visual, day-time hunters with large frontal eyes, and do not make webs. [left: P. johnsoni (I.R. Lindsey), right: P. audax (photo: Tom Murray)]

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Common synanthropic spiders in California

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A collection of commonly encountered spiders in the Bay Area, assembled by Dr. Stephen Lew. Note that to the untrained eye many spiders look similar - having a spider in hand will be much easier to identify than a fuzzy cell phone photo and trying to remember what it looked like running away.

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Follow this step by step identification guide to find the name of a tree near you.

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Does the tree bear cones and have leaves that are needle-like?
CLUE: These trees are called CONIFERS (cone-bearing) and most are EVERGREEN (trees with needles or leaves that remain alive and on the tree through the winter and into the next growing season).

Does the tree have scale-like, or awl-shaped leaves, usually EVERGREEN, sometimes reduced to a thick fleshy stem?

Does the tree have leaves that are flat and thin and generally shed annually?
CLUE: These trees are called BROADLEAF, (a tree with leaves that are flat, thin and generally shed annually) most are DECIDUOUS (shedding all leaves annually) and bear a variety of fruit and flowers.

Get the Full-Color Pocket Field Guide

Perfect for everyone from young students to professional arborists.

One of the best, pocket-sized tree identification manuals.
Steve Nix, About.com

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Does the tree bear cones and have leaves that are needle-like? CLUE: These trees are called CONIFERS (cone-bearing) and most are EVERGREEN (trees with needles or leaves that remain alive and on the tree through the winter and into the next growing season).

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This was the sky first week of quarantine, looking out towards Alameda.

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Weather Wiz Kids has information about clouds and more!

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Clouds

What are clouds?
A cloud is a large collection of very tiny droplets of water or ice crystals. The droplets are so small and light that they can float in the air.
How are clouds formed?

All air contains water, but near the ground it is usually in the form of an invisible gas called water vapor. When warm air rises, it expands and cools. Cool air can't hold as much water vapor as warm air, so some of the vapor condenses onto tiny pieces of dust that are floating in the air and forms a tiny droplet around each dust particle. When billions of these droplets come together they become a visible cloud.

Why are clouds white?
Since light travels as waves of different lengths, each color has its very own unique wavelength. Clouds are white because their water droplets or ice crystals are large enough to scatter the light of the seven wavelengths (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet), which combine to produce white light.

Why do clouds turn gray?
Clouds are made up of tiny water droplets or ice crystals, usually a mixture of both. The water and ice scatter all light, making clouds appear white. If the clouds get thick enough or high enough all the light above does not make it through, hence the gray or dark look. Also, if there are lots of other clouds around, their shadow can add to the gray or multicolored gray appearance.

Why do clouds float? A cloud is made up of liquid water droplets. A cloud forms when air is heated by the sun. As it rises, it slowly cools it reaches the saturation point and water condenses, forming a cloud. As long as the cloud and the air that its made of is warmer than the outside air around it, it floats!

Clouds move with the wind. High cirrus clouds are pushed along by the jet stream, sometimes traveling at more than 100 miles-per-hour. When clouds are part of a thunderstorm they usually travel at 30 to 40 mph. How do clouds move?

Why do clouds form at different heights in the atmosphere?
The characteristics of clouds are dictated by the elements available, including the amount of water vapor, the temperatures at that height, the wind, and the interplay of other air masses.
There are many different types of fog, but fog is mostly formed when southerly winds bring warm, moist air into a region, possibly ending a cold outbreak. As the warm, moist air flows over much colder soil or snow, dense fog often forms. Warm, moist air is cooled from below as it flows over a colder surface. If the air is near saturation, moisture will condense out of the cooled air and form fog. With light winds, the fog near the ground can become thick and reduce visibilities to zero. How is fog formed?
(Graphic Credit: USA TODAY.)

You need warm air! Southerly winds bring warm, moist air over cold ground or snow.

Fog Forms! Moisture condenses into fog as air is cooled from below.

Cloud Chart

Cloud Group

Cloud Height

Cloud Types

High Clouds = Cirrus

Above 18,000 feet

Cirrus
Cirrostratus
Cirrocumulus

Middle Clouds = Alto

6,500 feet to 18,000 feet

Altostratus
Altocumulus

Low Clouds = Stratus

Up to 6,500 feet

Stratus
Stratocumulus
Nimbostratus

Clouds with Vertical Growth

Cumulus
Cumulonimbus

Special Clouds

Mammatus
Lenticular
Fog
Contrails

Cirrus Clouds
Cirrus clouds are the most common of the high clouds. They are composed of ice and are thin, wispy clouds blown in high winds into long streamers. Cirrus clouds are usually white and predict fair to pleasant weather. By watching the movement of cirrus clouds you can tell from which direction weather is approaching. When you see cirrus clouds, it usually indicates that a change in the weather will occur within 24 hours.

Cirrocumulus clouds appear as small, rounded white puffs that appear in long rows. The small ripples in the cirrocumulus clouds sometime resemble the scales of a fish. Cirrocumulus clouds are usually seen in the winter and indicate fair, but cold weather. In tropical regions, they may indicate an approaching hurricane.

"Alto" Clouds
Stratus clouds are uniform grayish clouds that often cover the entire sky. They resemble fog that doesn't reach the ground. Light mist or drizzle sometimes falls out of these clouds.

Cumulus clouds are white, puffy clouds that look like pieces of floating cotton. Cumulus clouds are often called "fair-weather clouds". The base of each cloud is flat and the top of each cloud has rounded towers. When the top of the cumulus clouds resemble the head of a cauliflower, it is called cumulus congestus or towering cumulus. These clouds grow upward and they can develop into giant cumulonimbus clouds, which are thunderstorm clouds.

Cumulonimbus clouds are thunderstorm clouds. High winds can flatten the top of the cloud into an anvil-like shape. Cumulonimbus clouds are associated with heavy rain, snow, hail, lightning and even tornadoes. The anvil usually points in the direction the storm is moving.
Cumulus Clouds Stratus Clouds
Mammatus clouds are low hanging bulges that droop from cumulonimbus clouds. Mammatus clouds are usually associated with severe weather. Altostratus clouds are gray or blue-gray mid level clouds composed of ice crystals and water droplets. The clouds usually cover the entire sky. In the thinner areas of the clouds, the sun may be dimly visible as a round disk. Altostratus clouds often form ahead of storms with continuous rain or snow.

Lenticular clouds are caused by a wave wind pattern created by the mountains. They look like discs or flying saucers that form near mountains.

Fog is a cloud on the ground. It is composed of billions of tiny water droplets floating in the air. Fog exists if the atmospheric visibility near the Earth's surface is reduced to 1 kilometer or less.

Contrails are condensation trails left behind jet aircrafts. Contrails form when hot humid air from jet exhaust mixes with environmental air of low vapor pressure and low temperature. The mixing is a result of turbulence generated by the engine exhaust. Special Clouds

Fractus clouds are small, ragged cloud fragments that are usually found under an ambient cloud base. They form or have broken off from a larger cloud, and are generally sheared by strong winds, giving them a jagged, shredded appearance. Fractus have irregular patterns, appearing much like torn pieces of cotton candy. They change constantly, often forming and dissipating rapidly. They do not have clearly defined bases. Sometimes they are persistent and form very near the surface.

Green Clouds are often associated with severe weather. The green color is not completely understood, but it is thought to have something to do with having a high amount of liquid water drops and hail inside the clouds. In the Great Plains region of the U.S. green clouds are associated with storms likely to produce hail and tornadoes.

Cloud Activities Lesson Plan: Here is a great lesson plan on clouds. In this activity, kids see clouds form when they breath on spoons. When warm, moist breath hits the cool spoon, water vapor condenses and turns into a cloud--or water you can see. Note: This is a PDF file, so you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Lesson Plan: Here is a great lesson plan on identifying clouds. In this activity, kids build a cloud finder and identify what clouds they see outside. Note: This is a PDF file, so you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Lesson Plan: Here is a great lesson plan focusing on different types of clouds, how they are formed, and what they indicate about the weather. This activity is for grades 3-6. Note: This is a PDF file, so you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Cloud Experiment: Here is a great experiment that allows the kids to make a cloud in a bottle.

Fog Experiment: Here is a great experiment that allows the kids to make fog.
Pressure Experiment: Here is an experiment that shows how pressure is created in our atmosphere by sucking an egg in a bottle. This is a very cool experiment!
Science Fair Project Ideas: Here is a complete list of science fair project ideas. Discover the science behind the weather that impacts us every day.
Make A Barometer Experiment: Here is an experiment that allows the kids to make a barometer.

Evaporation Experiment: Here is an experiment that shows kids how evaporation takes place.

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Weather Wiz Kids weather information for kids

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Weather Wiz Kids is a fun and safe website for kids about all the weather info they need to know. It contains tools for weather education, including weather games, activities, experiments, photos, a glossary and educational teaching materials for the classroom.

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Spotted this bird perched. Red tail hawk?

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Most Common Birds of San Francisco Bay Area · iNaturalist.org